Borussia Dortmund will play their fourth friendly of the summer on Monday evening, with the German giants taking on La Liga outfit Valencia in a pre-season affair.
BVB are building towards their DFB-Pokal clash with 1860 Munich on July 29, while Valencia will begin their 2022-23 La Liga campaign at home to Girona on August 14.
Match preview
© Reuters
Dortmund have already played three friendlies this summer, opening their preparations for the new campaign with a 3-1 victory over Luner SV on July 5 before beating Dynamo Dresden 2-0 four days later.
The Bundesliga giants were also in action against Verl on Thursday, putting five unanswered goals past the German side, and they now have friendlies with Valencia and Villarreal before beginning their DFB-Pokal campaign away to 1860 Munich on July 29.
BVB will then play another friendly against Antalyaspor on July 30 before starting their 2022-23 Bundesliga season at home to Bayer Leverkusen on August 6.
Edin Terzic's side have been busy this summer in terms of incomings, with Sebastien Haller, Karim Adeyemi, Nico Schlotterbeck, Salih Ozcan, Niklas Sule, Marcel Lotka and Alexander Meyer all arriving at the club.
Dortmund have lost star striker Erling Braut Haaland, though, with the 21-year-old joining Manchester City, and it remains to be seen whether they are capable of finishing above Bayern Munich next season, with the club eight points short of the champions last term.
© Reuters
Valencia, meanwhile, are now under the leadership of Gennaro Gattuso, with the legendary midfielder being unveiled as the club's new head coach towards the start of June.
Los Che finished ninth in La Liga last season, and the six-time Spanish champions have not been a top-four side since 2018-19, finishing ninth, 13th and ninth in the last three campaigns.
Valencia have signed Hugo Duro and Samu Castillejo this summer, but Bryan Gil, Omar Alderete, Ilaix Moriba, Helder Costa have headed back to their parent clubs after loan spells.
Gattuso's side are yet to play a pre-season match this summer, but they have a busy schedule in the coming weeks, facing Dortmund, St Gallen and Stuttgart in quick succession, while the Spanish giants will also take on Nottingham Forest, Castellon and Atalanta BC as part of their preparations for the new campaign.
Valencia's 2022-23 La Liga campaign is due to begin at home to Girona on August 14, and it will be fascinating to see whether they are capable of challenging for a European spot next term.
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- D
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Dortmund have travelled to Switzerland with a strong squad, and head coach Terzic could decide to select two different XIs for each half of this contest, with a number of players set to receive minutes.
New signings Adeyemi and Haller could feature in the final third of the field for the first whistle, while Sule is also expected to feature following his arrival from Bayern.
Jude Bellingham was linked with a move away from BVB earlier this summer, with the majority of the leading clubs in Europe said to want him, but the midfielder will stay at Dortmund for the 2022-23 campaign, and he could also be in the starting XI on Monday.
As for Valencia, Gattuso has selected a 28-man squad for the fixtures in Switzerland, including Castillejo, who could make his debut from the start in this contest.
Gabriel Paulista, Hugo Guillamon, Jose Gaya, Carlos Soler and Goncalo Guedes are likely to be in an experienced starting XI on Monday evening.
However, Gattuso will also give chances to youth players, with Jesus Santiago, Ruben Iranzo, Facu Gonzalez, Jesus Vazquez, Cristhian Mosquera and Fran Perez also in the travelling squad.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Meunier, Hummels, Sule, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Dahoud, Brandt; Adeyemi, Haller, Malen
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Correia, Paulista, Guillamon, Gaya; Soler, Racic, Musah; Guedes, Duro, Castillejo
We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Valencia
This has all the makings of an entertaining match, and we are predicting goals on Monday. Valencia have travelled with a strong squad, but Dortmund are further ahead in their preparations for the new campaign, and we are expecting the Bundesliga side to emerge victorious here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
