Dortmund head to Zagreb in high spirits

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Dortmund come into this game in high spirits, having swept aside a strong Freiburg side with a 4-0 victory on Saturday. That result sees them move into fifth, just one point behind champions Bayer Leverkusen in fourth. Felix Nmecha built on his first international goal for Germany with another against Freiburg to cap off another good performance, while Maximilian Beier also notched his second goal of the campaign after a slow start to life at the Signal Iduna Park. The Black-Yellows have looked more like the side we saw against Freiburg in Europe, winning three of their four games so far, scoring 13 goals (the second-highest in the tournament) so far. They come in to this fixture having beaten Austrian side Sturm Graz in the previous round of fixtures, with Donyell Malen scoring the late winner off the bench. Dortmund had to do without Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson and Waldemar Anton in that game, all of whom featured in their win against Freiburg and will therefore be available for their trip to Croatia. Serhou Guirassy missed the weekend's game with flu but could return on Wednesday.

Dinamo currently sit third in their domestic league, four points off first-placed Hajduk Split. They come into this fixture unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions. After a first-round thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich, the Croatian side have turned their fortunes around in Europe, winning two (against Red Bull Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava) and drawing one (Monaco) of their last three games. Striker Sandro Kulenović has scored three goals across these three games, as well as eight from 14 in the league, making him one to watch for spectators and the Dortmund defence alike on Wednesday night. In the league, Zagreb have won one and drawn two of their last three, keeping two cleans sheets and scoring six goals in that time. Coach Nenad Bjelica has faced Dortmund before, both as a player and a manager. He lost 2-0 to them in charge of Union Berlin last season and faced them three times as a player at Kaiserslautern, with all three meetings resulting in draws. 

Watch: Dortmund crush Freiburg as their home form continues

• Dortmund have reached the knockout stages in four of the last five seasons.
• Guirassy has three goals and two assists to show for his first four Champions League outings in Dortmund colours. He scored twice in four matches for Rennes in the 2020/21 edition.
• Julian Brandt is set to make his 44th Champions League appearance, putting him level fourth with Stefan Reuter and Marcel Schmelzer in Dortmund's all-time player rankings for most games in the competition.  Łukasz Piszczek (54), Mats Hummels (66) and Marco Reus (72) top the pile.
• Nuri Şahin played from start to finish in Real Madrid's 6-2 drubbing of Dinamo in the 2011/12 group stage.
• Dinamo's 9-2 loss to Bayern on Matchday 1 handed them the unwanted record of most goals conceded in a single Champions League game.
• Zagreb have faced German opposition 19 times in UEFA competition to date, losing 13, drawing three and winning three. This is their first meeting with Dortmund.

Probable teams

Dortmund: Kobel (c) - Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Sabitzer, Nmecha - Malen, Brandt, Gittens - Beier
Out: Adeyemi (hamstring), Süle (ankle), Wätjen (muscular)
Doubtful: Guirassy (ill)
Coach: Nuri Şahin

Zagreb: Zagorac - Ristovski, Théophile-Catherine, Torrente, Ogiwara - Ademi (c), Mišić - Špikić, Baturina, Pjaca - Kulenović
Out: Sučić (metatarsal)
Doubtful: -
Coach: Nenad Bjelica

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