Sports
Dortmund's Strong Home Opening History Ahead of Champions League Clash with Villarreal
Borussia Dortmund have historically enjoyed strong starts to their Champions League campaigns, particularly when playing in front of their home crowd. Overall, the club's record in opening matches stands at four wins, two draws, and one defeat. Their only loss in an opening fixture came on 13 September 1995, when Ottmar Hitzfeld's side lost 3-1 to Juventus, who went on to win the competition that season. Since that defeat, Dortmund have never lost an opening Champions League match at home. In their last four opening fixtures at their own stadium, they recorded three wins and one draw, without conceding a single goal. The results were: 1-0 against Ajax in 2012, 2-0 against Arsenal in 2014, 0-0 against Barcelona in 2019, and 3-0 against Copenhagen in 2022. By contrast, Villarreal CF have never won on the opening matchday of the UEFA Champions League, with a record of three draws and two defeats. In their most recent opening match last season, Villarreal lost 1-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur.