Erling Haaland will not play for Borussia Dortmund against Rangers at Ibrox, but the visitors still believe they can turn their Europa League tie around – and with good reason.
Superstar striker Haaland has been out with a muscle injury for the past month, having scored four goals in four games in all competitions to start 2022.
But Dortmund have continued in that vein without their talisman, netting 25 times in eight matches this calendar year – trailing only Real Betis (29) across Europe’s top five leagues heading into the midweek matches.
That rate of 3.2 goals scored per game is also bettered by just one team, meanwhile, in Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen (3.3).
Keeping opponents out at the other end has been the issue for Dortmund, with five of Leverkusen’s 20 goals coming away at BVB. A similarly lacklustre defensive showing in the first leg of their knockout round play-off saw Rangers 4-2 winners away from home.
Again only Betis (42) have had more goals for and against combined in 2022 than Dortmund (41).
And Betis provide the inspiration for Dortmund, as the only team to have thrown away a two-goal away-leg lead to exit the Europa League, doing so against rivals Sevilla in 2013-14.
Rather than worrying about Haaland’s absence then, head coach Marco Rose is focused on ensuring his back line are up to the task in Glasgow, giving BVB the platform to fire themselves through.
“Erling has been out for almost half of the season. Nevertheless, we scored a lot of goals,” Rose told his pre-match news conference.
“Tomorrow we have to attack, go for goals. Of course, one can always slip in [at the other end]. That is why we have to be careful.
“We have to work out better solutions going forward than in the first leg. Against Gladbach [a 6-0 Bundesliga win], that was a good first step.”
On the recovering Haaland, Rose added: “There is always a lot of reporting on Erling. He needs a little more time. He is still a bit away from 100 per cent.
“We are in contact, he keeps trying and keeps working. He still needs some time. He must be painless – and we’re not there yet.”
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