Borussia Dortmund Faces Cerezo Osaka in Final Asia Tour Match: Shinji Kagawa Set for Reunion

News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/24th July 2024

Borussia Dortmund is gearing up for their final match of the 2024 Asia Tour as they prepare to face Cerezo Osaka at the Nagai Stadium in Japan on Wednesday. The match marks a notable reunion for Dortmund fans, as the team will come up against former star Shinji Kagawa, who has returned to his boyhood club, Cerezo Osaka.

Dortmund’s previous fixture was a disappointing 4-0 defeat against BG Pathum United in Thailand. This loss highlighted the need for the team to regroup and refine their performance before heading into the new season. The players will be eager to bounce back with a stronger showing against Cerezo Osaka to improve their match fitness and rhythm.

Cerezo Osaka, currently positioned sixth in the J1 League standings, will be aiming to capitalize on Dortmund’s recent defeat and secure another victory over the German side. Kagawa, who had two significant spells with Borussia Dortmund, scoring 60 goals and providing 55 assists in 216 appearances, will be a key figure for the Japanese team. His return to Cerezo Osaka last year has added an extra layer of excitement to this friendly encounter.

Dortmund’s head coach Nuri Sahin faces the challenge of managing a squad with several key players still unavailable. Those who participated in Euro 2024 have yet to return to full training, and Gio Reyna will also be absent from this match as he did not make the trip to Japan. Despite these absences, the starting XI will feature several prominent first-team players, including Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Niklas Süle, Felix Nmecha, and Julian Ryerson.

The previous match against Pathum United saw promising performances from Dortmund’s younger players, Paris Brunner and Almugera Kabar, who stood out despite the team’s overall struggle. It will be intriguing to see how Sahin adjusts his lineup and strategy for this game to address the issues highlighted in their last performance.

Fans looking to catch the action can tune in to Borussia Dortmund’s in-house platform, BVB-TV, where the game will be streamed live. For those in Germany, the match will be available on Sky Sport, while SKY PerfecTV will provide coverage in Japan. The kick-off is scheduled for 12:15 CEST / 11:15 BST / 6:15 EDT, and with this being the final match of their Asia tour, Dortmund will be keen to end on a high note before heading back to their regular season preparations.