Champions League

Dortmund hope for Reus return in Spurs preparation

2019-02-27 17:33

Berlin - Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund hope top-scorer and playmaker Marco Reus will return from a four-week injury lay-off at Augsburg on Friday in their final fixture before hosting Tottenham Hotspur.

Dortmund play Spurs at home next Tuesday needing to overturn a 3-0 defeat from the first-leg at Wembley to have any chance of advancing from the last 16 of the Champions League.

They also need a win at Augsburg on Friday in the Bundesliga title race as they only hold a three-point lead over defending champions Bayern Munich.

"He will probably be involved, but we have to wait and then ask the doctor," Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre said on Wednesday.

"He's back in team training, today (Wednesday) was his second session, but whether he will be back in the (matchday) squad, I can't yet say."

Reus, who has scored 13 goals in 19 league games this season, has been sidelined for nearly four weeks by a thigh injury.

During his absence, Dortmund failed to win in three games, only breaking the run with a 3-2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen last Sunday when England winger Jadon Sancho starred.

Dortmund will be without wing back Lukasz Piszczek, who has a foot problem, at Augsburg, but US midfielder Christian Pulisic is expected to be fit again after recovering from a leg injury.

Favre says he is grateful for a three-day break before Dortmund take on Spurs.

"The schedule is OK, the three days in between are of course important, but we are just concentrating on the next game," said the Swiss.

Dortmund will have learnt from Bayern's experience after Niko Kovac's star-studded side came from behind twice to seal a 3-2 win at Augsburg - also on a Friday - a fortnight ago.

Favre also said that Spanish striker Paco Alcacer could feature again after making his comeback from a shoulder injury at Leverkusen.

Bayern are at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday looking to avenge a shock 3-0 defeat at Munich's Allianz Arena when the sides met last October, but Favre insists his side will only worry about themselves. 

"We want to stay true to our philosophy, one game at a time - full concentration on the next game - that's the most important match," added Favre.

 

Read News24’s Comments Policy

Live Video Streaming
Video Highlights

Fixtures
Tuesday, 05 March 2019
Real Madrid v Ajax, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu 22:00
Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham Hotspur, Signal-Iduna-Park 22:00
Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Porto v Roma, Estadio Do Dragao 22:00
PSG v Manchester United, Parc des Princes 22:00
Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Juventus v Atletico Madrid, Allianz Stadium 22:00
Manchester City v Schalke 04, Etihad Stadium 22:00
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Bayern Munchen v Liverpool, Allianz-Arena 22:00
Barcelona v Olympique Lyonnais, Camp Nou 22:00
Logs
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Team P W PTS
Previous Results

Date Home Team Result Away Team
Vote

Which English Premier League club will progress furthest in this season's Champions League?

Men
Women
Love 2 Meet
English Premiership flutter

Take Sport24's "expert" tips at your peril...

Sport24 on Twitter

Follow Sport24 news on Twitter

Featured

The 2018/19 Absa Premiership season is in full swing. Will Mamelodi Sundowns retain their title? Or can one of Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Wits, SuperSport United - or another team perhaps - snatch glory from the Brazilians? Be sure to visit Sport24 for all the latest news!

Latest blogs
 

Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter

Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page

WIN Enter and win with Sport24!

BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry

RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.

 
There are new stories on the homepage. Click here to see them.