Hard results on the road
Borussia Dortmund have scored the opening goal in two of their three away matches against Manchester City in the Champions League, but have been denied victory on both occasions by goals conceded after the 80th minute (1-1 draw in October 2012 and 2-1 loss in September 2022).
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 at 19:00
Holland Captain City
Manchester City captain Erling Holland in a reunion with his old club Borussia Dortmund.
Regular captain Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias are on the bench and Rodri, another member of City’s leadership group, is absent from the squad. Meanwhile, Dortmund named Juba Bellingham on the bench.
Richard Jolly at Etihad StadiumNovember 5, 2025 at 19:00
Kings return
Manchester City have conceded the first goal in 4 of their 6 Champions League games against Borussia Dortmund, but have lost just one of those 4 games.
They have come back to win both of their last two games 1-0 (2-1 in April 2021 and September 2022).
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:55 p.m
Man City vs Borussia Dortmund
This will be the seventh time Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund have met in the Champions League, with the German side having won just once in the previous six.
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:50 p.m
Man City line-up for the match against Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Stones, Guardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Reinders, Savinho, Foden, Duko, Holland
Borussia Dortmund XI: Kobel; Anton, Schluterbeck, Bensbaini; Ryerson, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Svensson; Ademi, Beyer; your grip
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:46 p.m
Pre-game thoughts from Kovac
Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said: “It’s difficult. We have to work together on City’s strengths.
We still have to defend and keep the opponent away from our goal.
We can’t just park the bus. We have to take some risks.
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:39 p.m
Holland doesn’t think about records
“Do I think about scoring records? I had a 57-goal season, but I don’t think about records,” Erling Holland said in tonight’s pregame press conference.
I’m focusing on the next game. This is how I should think.
What do I think about being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? No one can approach the two of them.
I’m just Erling; A Norwegian man who scores. This will not change.
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:34 p.m
Dortmund must stop Holland
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Pascal Gross explained that his team has one main task today: stop Erling Haaland.
“He has an incredible scoring record,” Gross said.
“We have to stop him as a team. But the other players are also of great quality, so we have to focus on ourselves and stick to our game plan.”
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:29 p.m
Guardiola about Holland
The Manchester City manager also spoke about the importance of his main striker Erling Holland.
“It’s hard to find a real world-class player who is incredibly humble,” he said.
I know he will score goals and have an impact on the team, but I felt he always looked at what was best for the team.
That’s hard to find in players of this caliber. So is Erling. This was surprising because attackers usually only think about goals.
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:24 p.m
Guardiola’s comments before the game
The Man City manager said: “How important are these two Champions League home games? Absolutely.
“I’m not saying it will be easy because Dortmund are always at their best in this competition. They always come in the later stages.”
But with nine more points, we will qualify and be close to the top eight teams.
Mike JonesNovember 5, 2025 6:19 p.m
