Europa League Group J was considered to be one of the most intriguing when the draw was initially made, though Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla were certainly favourites to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, with Karpaty expected to end the pool bottom. In the first round of matches, BVB recovered from a scare to win in Ukraine, but los Nervionenses didn’t have the strength to overcome PSG at home, setting up a vital second game in Germany.
Second in the Bundesliga at present, Juergen Klopp’s side are certainly living up to their pre-season billing as potential winners. Having engineered a seven point advantage over Bayern Munich in the opening six weeks of action, they are well placed to make a real tilt for the title.
European success would not seem to be outside the reach of the Ruhr side, though their opening gambit in the group stages was not especially convincing. With three minutes remaining in Lviv, BVB trailed 3-2, yet by full-time Lucas Barrios and Mario Goetze had struck to seal a dramatic 4-3 success.
That victory accounts for only one match of the club’s six-game winning streak, which has been characterised by Klopp’s men scoring with great regularity. Should such a high level be maintained then Sevilla will certainly have their hands full when they visit the intimidating Signal Iduna Park on Thursday evening.
Alvarez No More
In contrast to their hosts’ smooth getaway for the season, Sevilla have already hit severe turbulence in their campaign. Even before the Primera Division campaign started los Nervionenses were out of the Champions League, and though they initially started their domestic campaign well, one victory in four has left the Andalucians in problems.
A 2-0 defeat against Hercules at the weekend ultimately accounted for Antonio Alvarez’s head, with former Mallorca boss Gregorio Manzano stepping into the void. Given that Manzano had been linked with the role even before the summer, this move was little surprise, and indeed the only shock was that it took so long to come about.
Manzano will take to the dugout under the flag of Sevilla for the first time on Thursday, and he will certainly be seeking a better outcome than his predecessor achieved at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Matchday 1, when an under-strength PSG side quickly undermined los Rojiblancos’ place in the competition by stealing away with a 1-0 victory.
There may be a talented squad at the coach’s disposal, but tidying up the mess will not be a job that can accomplished quickly. La Liga will be his immediate priority, though a run in Europe would clearly be a welcome distraction to the difficulties the domestic game is presently posing los Nervionenses.
TEAM NEWS
Borussia
The big players missing for the home side include Mohamed Zidan, Sebastian Kehl and Tamas Hajnal, who is less a regular that the aforementioned duo.
Coach Juergen Klopp is liable to deploy a strong side for Thursday’s match.
Sevilla
Gregorio Manzano named his first squad on Wednesday afternoon. He was able to welcome back a number of figures who missed out at the weekend, including Jesus Navas, Frederic Kanoute and Martin Caceres, meaning that he effectively has a full panel of players to select from.
Long-term absentee Sergio Sanchez has started training with the first team squad again after a heart scare effectively wiped out last season for him.
Prediction
Simply appointing a new coach is often a trigger for sides to perform well, so that plays into the hands of Sevilla, but present form suggests that Borussia Dortmund should scoop all three points on offer. This should be an exciting affair with plenty of goals; expect BVB to have the edge though.
Borussia 3-1 Sevilla 
