Borussia Dortmund take on Bologna on MD7 of the Champions League league phase on Tuesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups included in our preview ahead of the action.
Bologna vs Borussia Dortmund Preview
Chasing a spot in the top eight to secure automatic passage to the last-16, Borussia Dortmund head to Italy to face off against winless Serie A side Bologna on MD7 of the Champions League league phase.
Nuri Sahin’s side currently occupy ninth place in the table, one point shy of third to eighth, boasting a record of four wins and two defeats thus far in Europe this term. Their victories have come over Club Brugge, Celtic, Sturm Graz and Dinamo Zagreb, while their losses have come at the hands of Spanish giants Real Madrid and, last time out, Barcelona.
Dortmund head into continental action for the first time in 2025 off the back of a poor run of results. Since late November, they have managed just one win in their last eight across all competitions, including three successive league defeats.
It’s a run of form that leaves last year’s Champions League finalists in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, in 10th place, while they have also lost star forward Donyell Malen, with the Dutchman joining Aston Villa earlier in the month.
Ci vediamo domani! @Bolognafc1909 👋 pic.twitter.com/wcSOG6l4l3
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 20, 2025
Bologna, meanwhile, are yet to record a victory in Europe this term and are currently sitting in 33rd place (of 36), having recorded two draws and four defeats. Within those six games, they have scored just one goal.
Last time out, they held Benfica to a 0-0 draw in Lisbon, ending a four-game losing run in the competition, while they have now lost just once across their last 10 matches in all competitions.
This run includes draws against Juventus, Inter and Roma in Serie A, as well as wins over Fiorentina, Torina and Venezia, as they sit in seventh in the Italian top-flight table, six points adrift of the top four.
Their last outing, on Saturday afternoon, ended in a comfortable 3-1 win over bottom of the table Monza, in which Santiago Castro, Jens Odgaard and Riccardo Orsolini were all on the scoresheet.
Bologna Team News
The hosts are without Swiss midfielder Michel Aebischer due to a hernia problem, and while long-term absentees Nicolo Cambiaghi and Oussama El Azzouzi have returned to training, they are not expected to be involved in this one.
Castro, Odgaard and Orsolini are likely to retain their positions in attack after their goals at the weekend, with Dan Ndoye potentially starting on the left, while Scotland international Lewis Ferguson should start in midfield.
Borussia Dortmund Team News
As for the visitors, central defender Niklas Sule misses out with an ankle problem, and Algerian defender Ramy Bensebaini is suspended after an accumulation of three yellow cards during the league phase.
With Bensebaini out, Ryerson could move from his favoured right-hand side to left wing-back, while Manchester City loanee Yan Couto has the potential to come in at right wing-back.
Bologna vs Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineups
Bologna Predicted Lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Castro
Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineup:
Kobel; Can, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Couto, Gross, Nmecha, Ryerson; Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
Bologna vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction
Ahead of Tuesday night’s clash, the UK’s best football betting sites have Dortmund as narrow favourites to prevail at around 6/5, while a win for Bologna is priced at 23/10 and a draw is valued at 12/5.
Dortmund’s poor form in general lately and Bologna’s poor form in Europe this term make this a tough one to call in favour of either side, which is why we at SportsCasting are backing a score draw at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Vincenzo Italiano’s side have proven in recent weeks, with positive results against Juve, Inter and Roma, that they can compete with some of Europe’s elite, so we can see them frustrating an out-of-form Die Schwarzgelben on MD7.
Prediction: Bologna 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
