Borussia Dortmund Football Formation

Starting Lineup

ALEXANDER (MEYER) · LUCA (REGGIANI) · NIKLAS (SÜLE) · RAMY (BENSEBAINI) · YAN (COUTO) · ALMUGERA (KABAR) · SALIH (ÖZCAN) · JOBE (BELLINGHAM) · CARNEY (CHUKUWEMEKA) · MAXIMILIAN (BEIER) · FÁBIO (SILVA)

Borussia Dortmund utilizes a 3-5-2 formation that focuses on high pressing and quick vertical transitions. This lineup is built to control the central areas of the pitch while using wide players to stretch the opposition. The goal is to win the ball high up the pitch and immediately look to break the lines with direct passing to the front two.

ALEXANDER sits between the three center backs to help distribute the ball and sweep up long passes. The back line consists of RAMY, NIKLAS, and LUCA working as a compact unit to protect the penalty area. RAMY operates as the left center back to cover space when the wide players push up, while NIKLAS and LUCA stay central to dominate aerial duels and block crosses. This three man unit works to stay narrow and prevent opponents from playing through the middle.

The midfield operates with a central core and two wide players to provide width. CARNEY plays as the attacking ten to connect the midfield to the strike force by finding pockets of space between the lines. SALIH and JOBE occupy the central roles to shield the defense and drive the ball forward through the middle. On the flanks, ALMUGERA and YAN act as wide midfielders who must track back to help the defense and provide width when the team moves into the final third.

Borussia Dortmund employs two forwards to lead the press and occupy the opposition center backs. FÁBIO and MAXIMILIAN work as a strike partnership, with one player often dropping slightly deeper to hold up the ball while the other makes runs behind the defense. They press in coordination to force mistakes from the opponent. The width comes from the runs of ALMUGERA and YAN, which forces the opposing back line to shift and creates gaps for the strikers to exploit.

One major strength of this formation is the ability to create numerical superiority in the center of the pitch through the work of SALIH, JOBE, and CARNEY. The team can also create wide overloads when ALMUGERA or YAN push high and force the opposing wingers to track back. This creates immediate pressure in the attacking third and allows the team to win the ball back quickly through coordinated pressing waves.

This 3-5-2 formation relies on intense pressing and quick transitions to dominate games. It is best suited for matches where the team needs to control the central zone and exploit spaces left by an attacking opponent.