Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Anderlecht a 'dangerous' opponent for Borussia Dortmund, says Wilmots

Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has warned Borussia Dortmund of Anderlecht's quality ahead of their Champions league meeting.

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Jurgen Klopp's side, who have picked up only seven points in six Bundesliga games, enjoyed a good start to their Champions League campaign when they beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Westfalenstadion a fortnight ago.

But ahead of their second group game at Anderlecht, Dortmund are in a defensive crisis, having let in six goals in three Bundesliga games, and collecting only one point from those matches.

Wilmots believes that the Jupiler League leaders will be out to exploit Dortmund's defensive flaws. "It will be a match, in which both teams attack. I can only warn: Anderlecht has nothing to lose, and that makes them so dangerous," he told Bild.

Anderlecht, who drew their opening game in Group D 1-1 with Galatasaray, have the potential to upset their German opponents on Wednesday, according to Wilmots.

"Anderlecht were unlucky to concede the equaliser in the final minutes in Istanbul. Coach Besnik Hasi and his team have a lot of potential," he said. "They have not lost a match in the league, and they play just like I want to see as the national team coach: They attack."

But this will come as no surprise to Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, who told the prematch news conference that he has closely followed Anderlecht's progress in the past few years.

"It was the team that I enjoyed watching most even if they ended up losing their games. They have matured. It's no longer a bunch of talents, it's a bunch of really good football players," Klopp said.

The Dortmund boss singled out 17-year-old midfielder Youri Tielemans as the Anderlecht danger man. "Of course, I know Youri Tielemans -- I'd have to be crazy to know not him," he said.

"We want to be the most uncomfortable opponent Anderlecht can imagine. They are Belgium's top side, but they don't come up against Borussia Dortmund every day. We have to make this difference clear to them."

While most of Klopp's injured players like Marco Reus, Nuri Sahin and Ilkay Gundogan are still working on their comebacks, veteran midfielder Sebastian Kehl could return to the action following a muscle injury suffered in the Arsenal match. He could give Dortmund's defence some much-needed stability.

"We have had a few good games in the past -- the older ones among you may remember -- and they must be the benchmark for how we approach games," Klopp said.

"We have lost the last games because we made unusual errors in defence. We aren't confident enough in attack because we have too many injured players. We have to come with something new in every game and still try to spread the strain or risk hurting the players at our disposal."

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