Coach Niko Kovac said the team wants to translate their current Bundesliga form into the Champions League knockout tie. Dortmund have won six straight league games but have gone three matches without a win in Europe, and four centre‑backs are sidelined – Emre Can, Filippo Mane, Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Atalanta finished 15th in Serie A, two places ahead of Dortmund, and beat Frankfurt 3‑0 in their last Champions League outing. Kovac expects a tight, man‑to‑man contest and says the club will find a solution for the defensive void before the match.