Borussia Dortmund – Monterrey: Double Trouble From Schwarzgelben’s Striking Duo (2-1)

Borussia Dortmund are driving up the standards behind the scenes, and their two strikers have set the tone for their recent resurgence. A few problems popped up on their way through this fixture in the Round of 16, but their firepower provided more than enough answers to progress.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Borussia Dortmund determine to kick on under Niko Kovač. The Croatian came into the club at the start of 2025 to stabilize the side and steered the squad into the top four of the Bundesliga with five straight victories at the end of the campaign. None of their three group stage fixtures, a 0-0 draw with Fluminense, a 4-3 beating of Mamelodi Sundowns, and a one goal triumph over Ulsan HD, showed full conviction. But the team are unbeaten in ten outings and will want to keep that run ongoing.

Monterrey were flying the flag for their confederation in this celebration of global football. Inter Miami were the only other outfit of the five clubs from CONCACAF that got out of their group before being on the wrong side of a 4-0 rout to PSG. On the other hand, Inter Milan, whom the Parisians . . .