Borussia Dortmund is back in the Champions League semi-finals after more than 10 years. At the gala for the second leg against Atlético de Madrid, several stars who still have hopes for the summer European Championship also impressed. If the “Sportschau” has its way, three Dortmund players in particular should go to the local tournament.
Dortmund's appearances may have been too frequent this season. Too common to be in the Bundesliga to be able to be at the top. At the same time, positive changes mean that BVB is now among the top four clubs. Europe it's found. This should also have consequences for the selection of the German national team for the 2024 European Championship, believes “Sportschau”.
After the Champions League gala: these BVB stars have to go to the European Championship
Niclas Füllkrug has impressively overcome his poor form. In the first leg against Atlético de Madrid he barely saw a ball and was replaced more or less ineffectively by Sebastien Haller, who scored quickly and thereby shook Füllkrug's usual place in Dortmund.
As was demonstrated in the following match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, he not only faltered, but also fell. Although Haller was injured early on, Füllkrug had to be alert for the entire 90 minutes. The first time since his move from Werder Bremen to Borussia Dortmund. But what is Füllkrug doing, who started again in the second leg against Atlético? He takes the all-important 3-2 lead with a wonderfully placed header to get out of trouble and is assertive in other ways too.
For this reason, the “Sportschau” considers doubts regarding Füllkrug's nomination for the 2024 European Championship to be inappropriate. After his small crisis, Füllkrug demonstrated a resilience that made him indispensable for the German national team.
Brandt and Hummels at the highest level
However, Füllkrug was recently nominated for the national team. This does not apply to any other Borussia player, not even Julian Brandt. The day before yesterday he was chosen “Man of the Match” by UEFA, ahead of Marcel Sabitzer, who also played well. Already in the first leg, after Brandt replaced Nmecha, it was clear that the former can structure BVB's game and that he is a good leader. After his physical sick leave with a serious illness, Brandt has returned to full health. That is why he also belongs to Julian Nagelsmann's team, Sportschau magazine highlights in its own article on this topic.
This also applies to Mats Hummels, who has been performing at the highest level in recent weeks. In BVB's 2-0 victory, he was almost the only guarantee of victory. And although he scored an own goal the day before yesterday, he also showed maximum quality in his match against Atlético. Which in turn should give him one of the few tickets still open for the European Championship.
Brandt and Hummels have no shortage of qualified defenders and of course Julian Nagelsmann will also have continued his remarkable form. In the end, the coach will decide whether there will be more Dortmund players for Germany in addition to Niclas Füllkrug at the European Championship.
By Hagen Schmelzer
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