Tottenham to face hobbled Borussia Dortmund side

Tottenham will face a Borussia Dortmund side in Wednesday’s Champions League group stage opener at Wembley that is significantly weaker than they look on paper.

Though coach Peter Bosz can count some phenomenal talent on his roster, both young and experienced, seven players will not be fit enough to travel to Tottenham this week.

Among those missing are key members of Dortmund’s strongest starting XI, meaning that Bosz will have to patch together a best-of-the-rest to face off against Spurs.

The biggest concern for Dortmund will come in midfield. Their formidable attack might remain intact, but their best performances have traditional been built atop the work of young defensive midfielder Julian Weigl.

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The 22-year-old’s range of movement and competent distribution make him arguably one of Dortmund’s chief revelations of the last few seasons, trailing only Ousmane Dembélé and Christian Pulisic. Dortmund will rely on the talents of Nuri Sahin instead at the base of the midfield.

Though he’s curiously flown under the radar thanks in part to the rise of Weigl and Dembélé, Portugal international Raphaël Guerriero will also be a huge miss for Dortmund comes Wednesday.

Capable of playing at both left-back and central midfield, the 23-year-old is a huge threat going forward. His ball-ferrying skills will be much missed against a team that will press Dortmund as much as Spurs.

Farther up field, Dortmund will also have to work around the absences of both Marco Reus and André Schürrle. Though capable understudies in the form of Maximilian Phillip and Pulisic will play in their stead, Bosz will rightfully rue lacking such potent wide men against a Spurs side who have occasionally looked vulnerable on the flanks this season.

Last but certainly not least, almost the entirety of Dortmund’s first-choice backline will not be available for selection. Right-back Erik Durm continues to struggle with a hip injury, while both centre-back Marc Bartra and left-back Marcel Schmelzer were forced off in the first half of Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Freiburg.

Next: Looking back on the Spurs-Dortmund rivalry

Dortmund’s strength in depth — and the presence of striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — will keep them from being pushovers on Wednesday, but these holes in the team make this a far more competitive fixture than anyone expected.