Dortmund have odds against them BAYER BOYS SHOW HOW IT’S DONE
Leverkusen youngsters Havertz and Brandt lead charge of the next generation
It will be a bit harder for Spurs this time. Some of their good players are missing out... Jadon Sancho Borussia Dortmund winger
BUNDESLIGA leaders Borussia Dortmund’s preparations for the Uefa Champions League last 16 clash at Tottenham Hotspur today have been far from ideal.
First captain Marco Reus injured his thigh and then coach Lucien Favre was forced to miss last Saturday’s Bundesliga home game against Hoffenheim because of illness. The team threw away a threegoal lead to draw 3-3.
The young side remain top in the German top flight but the secondhalf capitulation against Hoffenheim was the first sign that pressure may be getting to them.
Favre is expected to be well enough to take his place on the bench for the first leg against Spurs at Wembley but Reus is set to miss out.
“Even if the manager is absent, we have to deliver out on the pitch,” forward Mario Goetze said.
Dortmund can at least console themselves with the fact that Spurs will also be missing top forwards Harry Kane and Dele Alli, while they themselves boast an Englishman in top form.
Jadon Sancho scored the opening goal and was electric against Hoffenheim.
The 18-year-old is also no stranger to Wembley, having played there for England, and has done his homework on the previous group stage clashes between the sides last term.
“Last time we lost against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, but I think we have improved this season. It could be a little bit harder for them this time.
“Some good players are missing out (and) we will try to take advantage of that,” he said.
Former England striker Tony Woodcock played in both countries and is intrigued to see a young English player plying his trade in the Bundesliga.
Sancho left Manchester City with first-team chances limited because of a raft of foreign talent.
“This game will be very interesting, especially because Jadon Sancho plays for Dortmund and all eyes will be on him. The English media will be watching him closely,” the 63-year-old told the Funke media group.
“In England, young players get few chances to play at clubs and develop. Despite this, most have stayed in England in recent years,” added Woodcock, who believes the financial rewards in the Premier League are the reason why few have followed Sancho’s path.
“That’s not easy. But Jadon Sancho is proving at Dortmund that making the move can be worthwhile. He is playing so well that it will pay off financially.”
Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl is set to continue as an emergency centre-back, while Goetze looks set to lead the line with Paco Alcacer again on the bench.
The video assistant referee system will be in use in Europe for the first time for the two teams. TWO YOUNG German national team players are leading Bayer Leverkusen’s revival under new coach Peter Bosz.
Kai Havertz, still only 19, has made himself indispensable and is getting better with each game, while 22-year-old Julian Brandt produced a Man of the Match performance against Mainz on Friday.
Brandt, who had already been entrusted with the No 10 jersey by Germany coach Joachim Loew following Mesut Ozil’s premature retirement, showed he is determined to keep it after scoring twice and setting up two more in Leverkusen’s 5-1 win.
“If a No 10 is needed and the coach thinks we don’t have any in the squad, then I think I have the quality for it,” Brandt said.
Havertz, his midfield partner and the only player to have started every league game for Leverkusen this season, scored his eighth goal of the season against Mainz.
Havertz has already scored more goals than in the previous two seasons since he first broke into the senior team.
The ambidextrous midfielder can play all across midfield, winning tackles in defence, switching play and launching attacks with his quick eye, coupled with his anticipation and then precision when delivering the final pass. Havertz has been involved in 17 goals in his 27 games in all competitions this season.
Havertz’s importance to Leverkusen was underlined by the club’s concern over the hip injury he picked up in the 3-1 win over Bayern Munich on February 2. He missed the German Cup loss to second division Heidenheim three days later, but the injury was not as serious as feared and he returned to start in Mainz to help Leverkusen claim a third straight win.
Bosz, a former Borussia Dortmund coach, took over from Heiko Herrlich for the second half of the season. He appears to have stabilised the team after an inconsistent first half. The Dutch coach has given free rein to both Brandt and Havertz in the centre.
Brandt had been playing on the wing under Herrlich.
“When you play on the wing, you’re tied to the position and don’t have as much room,” Brandt said. “So now I can run around with freedom. I feel very comfortable in the position.”
Bosz’s reasoning for Brandt’s position switch is simple.
“He is a very good player and you have to give good players the ball. He was outstanding today and always there at the right time,” Bosz said after the win in Mainz, where Brandt scored twice in a game for the first time.
Back on track in the Bundesliga – Leverkusen are up to sixth, good enough for Europa League qualification, five points behind Leipzig in the last place for Champions League qualification – Bosz’s team next travel to Russia to face Krasnodar in the Europa League.
“We don’t want to go at it like in the German Cup,” Brandt said of the slip-up in Heidenheim. “We’ve learned from that.”