Dortmund smash Europa League record in Odds rout

Dortmund will be joined in Friday’s group-stage draw by Bordeaux and Ajax after both snuck through their second legs against Kairat and Jablonec respectively. However, Dortmund turned up and came from behind thanks to the hat rick by Marco Reus, the brace by Shinji Kagawa and goals by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Guendogan securing the ticket for the UEFA Europa League group-stage.

Dortmund’s strong start to the season continued Sunday as their 4-0 win at new-boys Ingolstadt saw them leapfrog Bayern Munich to top the Bundesliga table on goal difference. Near the end of the match, Kagawa curled a right-side pass from inside the box into the net for his team’s third goal.

Schmelzer was part of Jurgen Klopp’s side that won back-to-back German titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, as well as reach the Champions League final in 2013, and so knows the importance of taking the initiative early in the season.

This is a group that Dortmund really should qualify from with room to spare, and if the new manager can’t guide his side to such a point, then complications may arise further down the line.

However, Odds” biggest secret weapon from the first leg, their 17-year-old starlet Rafik Zekhnini, could be a doubt for the game in Germany after being left out of their matchday squad for the 1-0 victory over Viking Stravanger due to intense media speculation he is close to completing his “dream’ move to Manchester United for around £3m. The competition was relatively easy, minnows of the European game compared to some of the bigger names they may have been drawn with.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was used as a substitute against Odd on Thursday night, but the Gabon global should return in attack to replace Jonas Hofmann. We started off well, before conceding the obligatory goal.

Roy Beerens is available once again after serving his suspension and he could be recalled to replace Genki Haraguchi.

Having opened up a 3-0 lead in last week’s first leg, only to lose 4-3, Odd again momentarily stunned their illustrious opponents as Ole Halvorsen levelled the tie with the game’s opening goal, but it only served to stir Dortmund – who were 4-1 ahead by half-time.

Neither side have managed to record successive wins in the last seven meetings between the two teams, and the last league double came when Dortmund recorded two victories in the 2004/05 campaign.