Borussia Dortmund vs Legia Warszawa - Dortmund could welcome back Marco Reus

Posted Monday, November 21, 2016 by PA

Borussia Dortmund have mixed news on the injury front as they seek to secure top spot in Group F having already booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

A win over Legia Warsaw on Tuesday night would be enough for Thomas Tuchel's men to head into the last 16 as group winners, just as long as Real Madrid fail to beat Sporting Lisbon.

However, they will have to get that win without number one goalkeeper Roman Burki, who has been ruled out for eight weeks after breaking his hand in the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich at the weekend.

His place will be taken by Roman Weidenfeller, Dortmund's designated domestic cup goalkeeper who, at 36, proved he still has his wits about him by helping his side reach the third round of the DFB-Pokal with key saves in a penalty shoot-out win over Union Berlin last month.

On the positive side, Tuchel could welcome Marco Reus back into his side for the first time since May.

Reus was due to make his comeback from injury at the weekend, but a heel problem saw him left out of the squad.

"If everything goes great, then I hope to be involved on Tuesday," Reus said on Dortmund's website, allaying fears his latest setback was going to delay his return significantly.

"I just had a problem with my heel in training last Wednesday, and you need heels to be able to run," he added.

"I'll be pleased to get back onto the field and to be able to show what I can do."

With or without Reus, the chances of Dortmund winning on Tuesday are looking good.

Their 6-0 win in Poland back in September set the tone for a group stage campaign in which the Westphalians have yet to lose, while they are currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Furthermore, Legia are looking for their first win in the Champions League proper in 21 years and know that a defeat would see them eliminated from Europe, should Sporting beat Real.

Legia have been in good form recently, though, and have won five of their last six league matches - including a 4-1 victory at erstwhile leaders Jagiellonia Bialystok on Friday - to climb up fourth in the standings.

They were also five minutes away from claiming a shock victory over holders Real Madrid in their last Champions League outing, with the Spanish giants salvaging a 3-3 draw with a late Mateo Kovacic equaliser.