Schlotterbeck: Dortmund targeting two more wins for top-eight Champions League spot - Soccer News

[ad_1] Nico Schlotterbeck says Borussia Dortmund are focusing on two extra victories to seal automated qualification for the final 16 of the Champions League, after their 4-0 win over Villarreal.

Dortmund sit fourth within the 36-team standings forward of Wednesday’s matches, having taken 10 factors from their first 5 video games.

Tuesday’s consequence was their most spectacular but on this version of the competitors, as Niko Kovac’s group took benefit of Juan Foyth’s purple card to romp to victory.

Serhou Guirassy netted twice – along with his second objective approaching the rebound from his personal saved penalty – whereas Karim Adeyemi and Daniel Svensson struck to spherical off the scoring.

Final season, 16 factors had been sufficient to safe a top-eight end within the competitors’s league stage, with Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa all making the lower with that tally.

Dortmund’s closing three video games are at residence to Bodo/Glimt, away to Tottenham and at residence to Inter, and Schlotterbeck believes two victories at Sign Iduna Park will do the job.

“It’s not simple, as a result of I feel you want 16 to 17 factors,” Nico Schlotterbeck instructed Amazon Prime Video after Tuesday’s sport.

“There at the moment are three video games left, two of them at residence. I feel when you win each at residence, you’re via.

“Now we have now additionally scored 4 targets. I feel having such a objective distinction also can do us good in the long run.

“And for the primary time, we've got now saved a clear sheet. We had already conceded plenty of targets within the Champions League, so that is an all-round profitable day.”

Dortmund had been restricted to simply 4 photographs and 0.87 anticipated targets (xG) within the first half, however helped by Foyth’s dismissal, they amassed 9 photographs and three.16 xG within the second half.

Schlotterbeck hailed their enchancment after the interval and praised Guirrassy – who has extra Champions League objective involvements than another participant for the reason that begin of final season (22, 16 targets, six assists) – for staying affected person.

“We got here out of half-time higher, which was vital. On the whole, we hardly allowed something and within the second half we had been actually good,” Schlotterbeck mentioned.

“Serhou didn’t have a simple time both. He will get the belief from us and that’s the place you must be as a striker.”

Dortmund now face Bayer Leverkusen in back-to-back video games, away within the Bundesliga on Saturday and at residence within the DFB Pokal’s final 16 subsequent Tuesday.