Facts for the game against Inter Milan: BVB banking on home strength | OneFootball

The scenario: After a 2-2 draw with Bodø/Glimt and a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund have dropped from sixth to 16th place and, like Inter Milan (14th), now only have a theoretical chance of finishing in the top eight and thus qualifying directly for the round of 16. After four wins in the first four games, which took them up to third place, Inter Milan have dropped to 14th place following three consecutive defeats: away to Atlético Madrid and at home to Liverpool and Arsenal. However, with 12 points (Dortmund have 11), they have already secured their place in the play-offs.

Rules: The eight best teams after the league phase qualify directly for the round of 16. The teams in ninth to 24th place compete in the play-offs for the knockout phase with home and away legs. The clubs in 25th to 36th place are eliminated. To determine the exact ranking in the event of equal points and goals, UEFA uses up to ten criteria.

Home & away: The Black & Yellows have lost only one of their last 21 home games in the UEFA Champions League, recording 13 wins and seven draws. The goal difference across these games is 47 scored and 14 conceded. Their home record against Italian teams is eight wins, five draws and seven defeats. None of the last four matches at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK have been lost (two wins, two draws). Inter Milan have won eight of their 28 away games in Germany, but only one of their last six (2-1 in Munich in last season's quarter-finals). Their overall record in their last 14 away games in the UEFA Champions League is positive, with seven wins, four draws and three defeats.

Previous encounters: Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan have met twice before, in the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1963/64 (a 2-2 draw at home, a 2-0 loss away), the quarter-finals of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup (a 3-1 loss at home, a 2-1 win away) and the group stage of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League (a 3-2 win at home, a 2-0 loss away). The Italians have a slight edge in the head-to-head record (three wins, one draw, two defeats).

Head-to-head: Borussia are facing a Serie A opponent for the 42nd time. They have recorded 12 wins, 21 defeats and eight draws – most recently a 4-4 draw at Juventus this season. For Inter, it is their 60th encounter with a German club. Their overall record (26 wins, 11 draws, 22 defeats) is positive, but their away record is not: eight wins, eight draws, 12 defeats.

BVB facts: Borussia are participating in the UEFA Champions League for the 20th time – the tenth time in a row – and have reached the knockout stages in ten of their last 11 appearances, reaching the final three times (1997, 2013, 2024). With 34 goals scored so far on both sides (19 for BVB, 15 for their opponents), games involving BVB (average 5.9) are the highest-scoring of the current Champions League season.

Inter facts: The Nerazzurri are participating in the UEFA Champions League for the 19th time, the eighth time in a row. They have reached the final three times (most recently in 2025, losing 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain) and won the trophy in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich – their third triumph after 1964 and 1965 (when the competition was called the European Cup). Inter have also won the Intercontinental Cup three times and the UEFA Cup three times. After 22 matchdays, coach Cristian Chivu's team currently top the Serie A table with a five-point lead over local rivals AC Milan. Most recently, they celebrated a 6-2 victory over bottom-of-the-table Pisa after trailing 2-0..Compiled by Boris Rupert