Possible Borussia Dortmund Lineup Against Atletico Madrid

Borussia Dortmund’s head coach, Edin Terzic, will receive a timely defensive boost for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday.

Despite their success in besting PSV Eindhoven 3-1 on aggregate to reach the last eight, Nico Schlotterbeck was unavailable for the 2-0 second-leg victory due to his third booking in the tournament’s opening fixture.

However, Schlotterbeck has now served his suspension and is eligible for continental duty once again. Unfortunately, left-back Ramy Bensebaini will be sidelined for weeks due to a knee injury. Consequently, Ian Maatsen is expected to take charge of the left flank for Dortmund, while Julian Ryerson is likely to feature on the right, although Niklas Sule deputized competently in that role against PSV at home.

With Schlotterbeck back in contention, he is poised to join Mats Hummels as part of Gregor Kobel’s central defense, with Emre Can operating just ahead of them in the number six role.

Despite Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt’s absence in the final 15 minutes of Dortmund’s Bundesliga defeat to Stuttgart on Saturday, both are expected to be selected to complement Can in midfield.

Upfront, Donyell Malen’s recent hip injury casts doubt on his availability for the contest. Thus, an unchanged frontline is likely to feature Jadon Sancho, Karim Adeyemi, and Niclas Fullkrug, with the latter aiming to end an eight-game scoreless run in all competitions.

Potential Borussia Dortmund starting lineup: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Adeyemi