UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Dortmund v Anderlecht background

Borussia Dortmund have their sights set on winning the group for the third successive year when they play host to RSC Anderlecht, who will head into the UEFA Europa League.

Adrián Ramos scored twice after coming off the bench for BVB in Brussels
Adrián Ramos scored twice after coming off the bench for BVB in Brussels ©AFP/Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund are in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League for the third successive season and will hope to wrap up first place in Group D against an RSC Anderlecht side who will finish third.

• On 1 October Adrián Ramos added two second-half goals to Ciro Immobile's early strike to give Dortmund a 3-0 win over the Belgian champions, who will try again for a first win over German opposition in the group stage.

Previous meetings
• The sides met in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup third round when Anderlecht progressed on away goals, winning 1-0 at home and losing 2-1 away.

• In the second leg in Germany Alain Van Baekel scored first for the Belgian side before BVB turned the game around through Sergei Gorlukovich and Michael Schulz.

• The teams at the BVB Stadion on 12 December 1990 were:
Dortmund: De Beer, Gorlukovich, Kutowski, Quallo, Helmer, Poschner (Nikolic 66), Lusch, Schultz, Povlsen, Rummenigge, Wegmann.
Anderlecht: De Wilde, Van Tiggelen, Kooiman, Rutjes, De Wolf, Musonda, Van Baekel (Van Loen 81), Oliveira (Verheyen 65) Degryse, Nilis, Crasson.

• Marc Venderlinden struck the first leg's only goal at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on 28 November 1990. The lineups were:
Anderlecht: De Wilde, Van Tiggelen, Kooiman, Rutjes, De Wolf, Musonda, Van Baekel (Crasson 73), Oliveira, Degryse, Nilis, Verheyen (Vanderlinden 39).
Dortmund: De Beer, Gorlukovich, Kutowski, Quallo, Helmer, Poschner, Lusch (Wegmann 77), Zorc, Povlsen, Rummenigge, Mill (Strerath 20).

Match background

Dortmund
• BVB lost their last home game against Belgian opponents, 2-1 against KRC Genk in the 2004 Intertoto Cup third round. They were successful in their only two other home Belgian assignments, both against Club Brugge KV, winning 3-0 (but losing 5-3 on aggregate) in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup third round.

• In the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round both teams won their home legs 2-1, Dortmund losing 4-2 on penalties.

• Winners in 1996/97 and runners-up two years ago, Dortmund are in their tenth group stage campaign.

• Last season they reached the quarter-finals, a 2-0 second-leg home win over Real Madrid CF not enough to overturn a 3-0 defeat away.

• Dortmund have won seven out of their last eight home games in the group stage, losing one.

• BVB dropped their first points in the group when losing 2-0 at Arsenal FC on matchday five. Previously they had only let in one goal, in a 4-1 win at home to Galatasaray AŞ on matchday four.

• Dortmund will clinch the group with a draw unless Arsenal beat Galatasaray by enough to overtake BVB on overall goal difference or goals scored. Currently Dortmund's goal difference is better by six; their head-to-head with Arsenal is level.

Anderlecht
• The Belgian champions won their last Brussels encounter with German opponents, 4-3 against Hamburger SV in the 2009/10 UEFA Cup round of 16, but went out 6-5 on aggregate.

• Prior to a 2-1 second-leg victory at FC Bayern München in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16 – they lost 6-2 on aggregate – Anderlecht had not won in ten games against Bundesliga opposition.

• They have lost six UEFA Champions League group stage encounters with German sides alongside a solitary draw, 1-1 against Bayern in 2003/04. Overall their record against German teams is W12 D3 L17.

• Last year the Belgian team finished fourth in their group with just a single point. They had finished bottom of the pool in all seven group stage campaigns since reaching the last 16 (qualifying for the second group stage) in 2000/01.

• On matchday five Anderlecht made sure of a berth in the UEFA Europa League when Chancel Mbemba scored twice in a 2-0 victory against Galatasaray. It was only their second home win in the last eight group stage campaigns and only their fifth home and away.

• They are unbeaten in their away games so far, drawing 1-1 in Istanbul and rallying from three goals down to draw 3-3 at Arsenal.

Coach and player links 
• Aleksandar Mitrović is a Serbia team-mate of Miloš Jojić and Neven Subotić.

• Mitrović and Jojić played together for FK Partizan youths and FK Zemun.

Match facts

Dortmund
• Dortmund slipped to the bottom of the Bundesliga for the first time since August 2007 on 30 November when they were beaten 2-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt.

• Captain Mats Hummels, out since 1 November with an ankle problem, returned to action on Friday as İlkay Gündoğan's first league goal since April 2013 earned Dortmund a 1-0 win at home to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

• For the first time in Bundesliga history, the Schwarzgelben lost eight of their first 13 fixtures.

• Nuri Şahin, yet to make a competitive appearance this term because of a knee injury, has been an unused substitute for Dortmund's last two games.

• Sokratis Papastathopoulos resumed light training on 2 December as he steps up his recovery from the calf injury he suffered against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in early November.

• Jakub Błaszczykowski is back in training. The midfielder has been sidelined with a knee injury since January and also suffered a thigh strain in September.

Anderlecht
• Steven Defour is a booking away from a suspension.

• Chancel Mbemba scored at both ends as Anderlecht – trailing 3-0 inside 25 minutes – lost 4-2 at mid-table Mouscron-Peruwelz on Saturday.

• Fabrice N'Sakala, out since suffering knee ligament damage in training on 3 September, was an unused substitute on Saturday.

• Nathan Kabasele was on target for the club for the first time since August as Anderlecht beat second division KRC Mechelen 4-1 on 3 December to seal a Belgian Cup quarter-final date with SV Zulte Waregem. Kabasele scored twice, with Cyriac and Youri Tielemans also finding the net.

• Aaron Leya Iseka, 17, and 18-year-olds Samuel Bastien and Hervé Matthys all made their first-team debuts against Mechelen.

• Dennis Praet and Olivier Deschacht scored their first league goals of the season as Anderlecht drew 2-2 with Club Brugge KV on 30 November in a meeting of the top two in Belgium.

• Bram Nuytinck sustained a toe injury on matchday one. He returned on 1 October against Dortmund but has not played since and will now have an operation to correct the problem.

• Matías Suárez, troubled by a left knee complaint, has been advised to rest rather than undergo surgery.

Selected for you