Not just BVB – Glasgow
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That brings the football week
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BVB fans hold up their scarves before the first leg.
Photo: dpa/Bernd Thissen
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Berlin In the Europa League, the decisions for Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are pending. Champions League is also played – but without German clubs. The DFB women continue to test in England. And what else is going on for Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool FC?
RB Leipzig and – even more so – Borussia Dortmund have to improve a lot in the Europa League in order to still reach the round of 16. In the Champions League, other major clubs are starting the new year, and the German women’s national team is continuing to test its form in England in the year of the European Championship.
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Europa League: The title was the goal, but first Borussia Dortmund has to catch up and win clearly after the embarrassing 4-2 home defeat against Glasgow Rangers in the round of 16 second leg. Otherwise, the next appearance on Europe’s football stage on Thursday (9 p.m. / RTL) will also be the last of the once proud Champions League winner. The discussion about the mentality question among the BVB professionals will probably remain. Therefore, sports director Michael Zorc takes the team to task with clear words: “If they have balls, they turn it in the second leg.”
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Even if the starting position after the 2-2 home game against Real Sociedad San Sebastian does not seem to be the best for RB Leipzig, coach Domenico Tedesco’s team believes in progress on Thursday (6.45 p.m. / DAZN). “We’re going to Spain to win there,” said Emil Forsberg. However, the task will not be easy, Real have only conceded six goals in their own stadium this season. And already in the first leg, RB often bit his teeth out on the cover bar. Now the Saxons hope that the opponent in their own stadium will go to work more offensively and that gaps will open up.
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Champions League: Manchester United with German coach Ralf Rangnick meets Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN and Sky). Both the troubled United professionals around superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Madrid have so far fallen short of expectations in their leagues. The two teams last met in 1991. Thomas Tuchel’s FC Chelsea welcome OSC Lille on Tuesday. FC Villareal take on the ‘old lady’ Juventus Turin at home, on Wednesday Benfica start the knockout stage against Ajax Amsterdam.
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DFB women: The last game of the Arnold Clark Cup for the German soccer players is on Wednesday (8.30 p.m. / ZDF live stream) in Wolverhampton. The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg meets the hosts and World Cup semi-finalists England. Before that there had been a 1-1 draw against the strong Spaniards and a 1-0 defeat against Olympic champions Canada on Sunday evening. The four-nation tournament is considered an important location for the European Championships in July, also in England.
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Premier League: Is there anything else? Coach Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool FC can reduce the gap to leaders Manchester City to three points in the catch-up game of the 19th matchday against Leeds United on Wednesday (8.45 p.m.). On April 9, the two heavyweights of the Premier League will meet in a direct duel. On Saturday (1.30 p.m.) the focus will also be on Brentford FC’s game against Newcastle United. Brentford’s new signing Christian Eriksen, who collapsed with cardiac arrest at the European Championships in the summer, could make his debut.
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Bundesliga: Hoffenheim wants to underpin its European ambitions at the start of the 24th matchday on Friday (8.30 p.m. / DAZN) against relegation candidate Stuttgart. The third win in a row would help a lot. Leader FC Bayern face a completely different challenge after the tedious 4-1 win against bottom Greuther Fürth on Saturday (6.30 p.m.) at Eintracht Frankfurt.
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SC Freiburg (against Hertha BSC) and Bayer Leverkusen (against Arminia Bielefeld) can get in on the action with home wins. In the duel with Mainz 05, 1. FC Union Berlin must stop their series of three defeats in order not to slowly lose contact with the European places. Borussia Mönchengladbach (13th in the table with 26 points after the 6-0 defeat against Dortmund) welcomes VfL Wolfsburg (12th with 27 points) to the duel of the disappointed – the loser is in the middle of a relegation battle.
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