Borussia Dortmund hold a vital but still tenuous 2-0 lead over Atalanta in the first round of the Champions League playoffs, and they will like their chances even more with The Athletic’s Bundesliga correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor reporting that star center back Nico Schlotterbeck was able to train and has been named to the club’s squad for the game.
BVB were able to pitch a shutout against La Dea without Schlotty available, but the presence of one of the best center backs in the Bundesliga was sorely missed over the weekend in a hard-fought, 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig, whose wingers Brajan Gruda and Yan Diomande torched them while Christoph Baumgartner put Serhou Guirassy to shame with two beautiful poached goals.
It’s been a tough stretch of games for Dortmund, who, after facing La Dea in this Champions League knockout decider, will have to then face the red-hot Bayern Munich over the weekend in a Klassiker that will almost 100 percent decide Dortmund’s fate in the Bundesliga.
Waldemar Anton has been one of the best center backs in the Bundesliga, too, but the other options in the BVB back three are fully underwhelming, with the unproven Luca Reggiani getting quite the introduction last week at Leipzig vs. Diomande.
Schlotterbeck may not be 100 percent and may not even start against Atalanta, but chances are if a player as tough and important as him is practicing and in the squad before a Champions League game, he’s playing in some role. And he’ll be just as important for Bayern, too.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.