Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan clash on matchday two in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League Group F. It’s a 21:00 kick-off (local time) at Signal Iduna Park with both sides looking to record their opening victories of this season’s competition. Here's a look at the Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan H2H.
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Borussia Dortmund v AC Milan H2H Record
There have been 6 previous competitive meetings.
- Borussia Dortmund Wins: 2
- Draws: 1
- AC Milan Wins: 3
This fixture was first played way back in the 1957/58 European Cup. That was a memorable Quarter Final tie which produced a 1-1 draw in the 1st Leg in Germany before Milan pulled clear in the 2nd Leg with a 4-1 win.
The clubs would have to wait more than 40 years to be reunited though. This time it was a UEFA Cup Semi Final tie which Borussia Dortmund took complete control of with a 4-0 1st Leg win. Milan won the return leg 3-1 but the Germans progressed to the Final where they were defeated by Feyenoord.
⏳ Time Machine ⏳
Sono passati 21 anni dal nostro ultimo incrocio in #UCL con il Borussia Dortmund: rivivi il precedente del dicembre 2002 #BVBACM #SempreMilan— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 2, 2023
Last time out…
Milan and Dortmund were paired together the season after that UEFA Cup tie too, this time in UEFA Champions League Group C. With Real Madrid also in their group, much like this season, the matches were key games in the race for qualification.
Both fixtures produced 1-0 away wins. Filippo Inzaghi scored the winner for Milan in Germany while Czech giant Jan Koller was on target at San Siro. Despite that loss, the Italians still won the group and went on to win the competition, seeing off Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford in the Final.
More than 20 years have passed since those meetings though, meaning they don’t hold any real sway over the Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan H2H predictions for this week’s game.
Borussia Dortmund v AC Milan H2H: Potential MVP
Both sides are in something of a state of transition after active summers but this would be a great stage for one of their respective new arrivals to make a big contribution.
Much of the attacking drive from Milan is likely to come from Rafael Leao though. He caused problems throughout for Newcastle on matchday one in this group but the Portuguese star couldn’t provide the killer touch to settle a game that ended goalless.
Rafael Leao's prioritising playing in the Champions League over money 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/9oJA8Ur55i
— GOAL (@goal) September 25, 2023
This will be the first time that Rafael Leao has ever faced German opposition in the Champions League. He was though involved in a UEFA Youth League tie against Dortmund during his Sporting days.
This opposition should bring back good memories for the 24 year old given Leao scored the only goal in that match. He’s certainly one of the main dangermen who could settle what should be a relatively even game on Wednesday.
Borussia Dortmund: Players in focus
Brandt to provide the creativity
Julian Brandt has made an impressive start to the new Bundesliga season with four assists in six outings so far in the German top flight.
Reus the UCL specialist
Marco Reus has a very impressive record in this competition with 22 goals and 19 assists for Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League from 60 appearances.
Malen to fire?
Donyell Malen is one of Dortmund’s main goal threats. The Dutchman has 3 goals in 6 Bundesliga outings so far this term.
AC Milan: Players in focus
Pulisic returns
Christian Pulisic swapped London for Milan this summer, but this tie sees him return to the stadium where he really made his name. The US international spent 4 seasons with Borussia Dortmund between 2015 and 2019.
Musah hungry for more
Yunus Musah is another American in Milan. He has struggled for regular game-time so far but injury problems could potentially push him into a starting role here.
Tomori to tame Dortmund?
Fikayo Tomori has enjoyed a strong start to the season and will face German opposition for the first time in his career here.
Final Prediction
This has all the makings of a good game but it’s tough to pick a winner. Milan played well and did everything but score against Newcastle in their first game. Borussia Dortmund are a tough nut to crack at home though with the Yellow Wall always large and loud on nights like this.
We’re saying this will end 1-1 with Donyell Malen scoring the first goal.
