Borussia Dortmund are looking to brush off their nightmarish Bundesliga form when the Group D leaders protect their perfect UEFA Champions League record at Turkish giants Galatasaray today.
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp described his side’s 3-0 win at RSC Anderlecht earlier this month as “perfect,” but things are far from rosy now for Borussia after three straight Bundesliga defeats.
With just a point from their first two European games, Galatasaray are third in the group and face Dortmund with the Germans low on confidence, despite topping the Champions League group.
Photo: Reuters
The 2012-2013 Champions League finalists have plummeted to 14th in the Bundesliga — their worst league start for 27 years.
Klopp admitted to feeling “helpless” in the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Cologne, their first defeat in the city for more than a decade, to leave them with just a point from their past five league games.
“We have to correct our mistakes now, not tomorrow or the day after,” Klopp said. “We need to get ourselves out of this rut and no one will do it for us.”
Having beaten Arsenal 2-0 in their opening game, Klopp’s side have yet to concede a goal in the competition and have been boosted by the return to fitness of three key players.
They have Germany midfielders Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan, as well as Armenia’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan back after injuries.
Reus managed more shots on goal than the entire Cologne team combined and finishing is a factor for Dortmund in Turkey.
The only good news for Klopp from Cologne is that defender Erik Durm should be fit, despite dropping out during the warm-up on Saturday with a thigh problem.
Galatasaray lost 4-1 at Arsenal three weeks ago and need a result at home against Dortmund to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.
With Didier Drogba now back at Chelsea, Galatasaray’s top name is Wesley Sneijder and the Dutch midfielder scored two late goals as Cesare Prandelli’s side beat 10-man Fenerbahce 2-1 on Saturday in the Istanbul derby.
“Sneijder is a quality footballer, who showed up well in the last 20 minutes and gave us two very nice goals,” Prandelli said.
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