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Borussia Dortmund have some catching up to do if they are to mount a serious title challenge in 2020-21. Lucien Favre’s side finished as runners-up again last season but were a distant 13 points behind an all-conquering Bayern Munich team.
BVB certainly don’t lack for talent and are bound to provide plenty of entertainment next season with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, and Marco Reus in attack. The club also continues to be a home to emerging young talent and Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna, and Reinier will all be hoping to make an impact Signal Iduna Park.
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Starting with the 2020-21 season, anyone in the US can watch every Dortmund game live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ will have live coverage of every Bundesliga match in 20-21, as well as DFL Supercup, Bundesliga 2, Serie A, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, MLS and other live sports. It also includes every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $5.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to about 31 percent savings:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch every Dortmund match live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Borussia Dortmund 2020-21 Preview
Dortmund’s attacking power makes them one of the most attractive sides in the Bundesliga to watch. Haaland only arrived in the German top flight in January 2020 and went on to score 16 times in 18 games for his new club.
Sancho also thrived again last season and was directly involved in 33 goals despite only playing 32 games. The forward is still only 20 but has quickly become a crucial player for Favre’s side.
Jadon Sancho’s 2019/20 season by numbers with Borussia Dortmund:
32 games played
17 goals
16 assists
77 take-ons completed
69 chances created
19 big chances created
A player in demand this transfer window.
There’s plenty more quality right throughout the side with World Cup winner Mats Hummels in defence and experienced internationals Emre Can, Axel Witsel, and Julian Brandt in midfield.
The future continues to look bright for Dortmund too in the shape of their talented youngsters. American teenager Reyna made the breakthrough last season and will be hoping for more chances to impress in 2020-21.
The 17-year-old’s enthusiasm and desire was evident when speaking about his aims for the forthcoming season with the Bundesliga.
“I just want to play as much as I can and to start many more games this year. I want to score goals and have assists also. I want to help the team in any way so that we can win. I want to try to win the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the Champions League too, because we’re a big club. I’m still so young so I can grow in many different areas. I just want to learn new things every day.”
Reyna, son of former USMNT captain Claudio, is certainly one of the Bundesliga’s rising stars and has already made history in Germany, becoming the youngest goalscorer in DFB Pokal history in Dortmund’s 3-2 win over Werder Bremen in February.
The teenager did it in some style too, jinking past a couple of defenders before calmly planting the ball into the top corner.
Giovanni Reyna becomes the youngest goalscorer in #DFBPokal history, and it’s a strike the American will remember for a long time ✨
Reyna has also impressed in pre-season for Dortmund, scoring four goals as Favre’s men fine-tune their preparations for the new campaign.
Transfer Ins and Outs
Dortmund’s most important transfer business this summer looks to be their ability to keep hold of Sancho. The England international was heavily linked with a big-money move to Manchester United but the German club have insisted he’s not for sale.
BVB also beat Manchester United to the signing of highly-rated 17-year-old midfielder Bellingham from Birmingham City. The teenager will be hoping he can follow in the footsteps of Sancho and thrive in Germany after moving from England.
Dortmund are renowned for their ability to develop young players and sporting director Michael Zorc has spoken about why his club were so keen on landing Bellingham.
“He has enormous potential that we want to develop with him in the coming years. He already has a surprising amount of quality in his own possession as well as against the ball, and on top of that, the player also has a strong mentality. We immediately see Jude as a reinforcement for our professional squad, but of course we will also give him the time to get used to the higher level.”
The teenager has since gone on to underline his potential by breaking records with the England Under-21 side in a 6-0 win over Kosovo in Euro 2021 qualifying ahead of the start of the new campaign.
☑️ England U21s’ youngest-ever player
☑️ England U21s’ youngest-ever scorer
Congratulations, @BellinghamJude 🙌
Bellingham is not the only talented youngster to arrive. Dortmund have also landed Brazilian starlet Reinier on a two-season loan from Real Madrid and have been watching the forward for some time, according to Zorc.
“Reinier’s a player who brings enormous talent and can be used in various positions in attack. We’ve been watching the boy for more than two years. He has great technical skills and is physically robust.”
Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier has also signed from Paris Saint-Germain on a four-year deal and will replace the outgoing Achraf Hakimi. The youngster was a key player for Dortmund during his loan from Real Madrid but has now signed for Inter.
Manager: Lucien Favre
Favre is heading into his third season with Dortmund and, after consecutive runners-up finishes, there will be pressure on the 62-year-old to deliver a trophy. Yet winning the Bundesliga will be a tough ask given Bayern’s dominance, and their best chance may come in the cups.
There’s no doubt Favre has bags of exciting players in his squad and his team will continue to play attractive, attacking football. Yet question marks remain over whether he can bring the ruthlessness needed to overtake Bayern and deliver the title.