Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund – Match preview and team news

Two of the Champions League’s in-form teams clash at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as Manchester City host Borussia Dortmund in what promises to be a pivotal league stage fixture.

Both sides enter matchday four with identical records, having secured seven points from their opening three games. Consequently, a victory for either side would be a significant step toward securing automatic qualification for the last 16. City enter the match in strong domestic form. Meanwhile, Dortmund arrive as last season’s finalists in this very competition.

Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund – Match Preview and Team News

Date: Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Kick-off: 8:00 pm GMT
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Referee: Szymon Marciniak
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski
Last Meeting: Manchester City 2-1 Borussia Dortmund, 14 September 2022, Champions League

Team News

Manchester City

Manchester City boast a near fully-fit squad for the visit of Borussia Dortmund, with Mateo Kovačić (ankle) the only player on the absentee list. 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and striker Erling Haaland both proved their fitness in the weekend’s win over Bournemouth and are available to start. The match will see Haaland face his former club, while Bernardo Silva will need to be cautious as he is one booking away from a one-match ban.

Borussia Dortmund

Niko Kovac is hopeful of welcoming back his first-choice centre-back pairing. Both Nico Schlotterbeck (illness) and Niklas Süle (toe) have returned to training. However, they will face late fitness tests to determine if they can start. Elsewhere, captain Emre Can is available again, but young forward Julien Duranville is the only confirmed absentee.

Form Guide

Manchester City

City have bounced back well from a recent league defeat to Aston Villa. Since then, they have secured consecutive victories over Swansea and Bournemouth. In the Champions League, they remain unbeaten (W2 D1). Furthermore, their home record against German teams is formidable. City have not lost a European home match against German opposition since 2013.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund are in excellent European form. After an opening draw at Juventus, they have recorded back-to-back wins over Athletic Club and FC Copenhagen. Domestically, they are also challenging at the top of the Bundesliga. In fact, they arrive in Manchester fresh from a 1-0 win against Augsburg on Friday.