What do Borussia Dortmund need to do to beat Manchester City?

Playing Manchester City is not easy - that's been established over the course of this strange but captivating season. In fact, Pep Guardiola's side have arguably been the toughest team to play across the Europe since the turn of the year.

And it's this tremendous team that Edin Terzic's men have to overcome to reach the Champions League semi finals. Borussia Dortmund came away from the Etihad having lost the first leg 2-1 - far from the end of the world - meaning they need a 1-0 victory to see them through.

It won't be straightforward, easy, or even likely. But the Cityzens are not unbeatable - just ask Marcelo Bielsa. So, in order to significantly upset the odds, what do Dortmund need to do?

Well, let's take a look.

How can Borussia Dortmund score against Manchester City?

Right, let's start with the obvious: Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian may not have notched a goal in his last six for club and country, but two assists in his last two for BVB show he can still contribute even when he's not scoring.

The striker's presence alone will cause havoc for City's backline, like it did in the first leg. He may have to play an unselfish role on the night, and look to pin back and occupy at least one defender to create space and shooting opportunities for team mates - just as he did for Dortmund's second in their 3-2 win over Stuttgart last time out (skip to 3:36 in the above video to see).

Jude Bellingham will look to replicate his phenomenal showing in the first leg and really impact the game. He will have to surge forward to provide the extra man and spark around the edge of the box (as he did in his last outing, securing his first Bundesliga goal), while also doggedly tracking back to help his holding midfield partners and keep tabs on City's midfield runners - the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.

Terzic's full-backs may also be key in the battle. The Dortmund boss actually has a few options for who to play in this position, and all are capable of influencing proceedings further up the pitch.

Whoever features will have to bomb forward to overload wide areas and give the winger an option for the overlap, especially taking into account how the likes of Gio Reyna and Thorgan Hazard like to drift infield.

How can Borussia Dortmund keep Manchester City out?

As previously eluded to, the full-backs could be vital in creating goal-scoring opportunities. However, their main worry should be at the back. Throughout the campaign BVB have been guilty of lacking focus and sloppy defending - things which will not go unpunished by Man City.

Positioning and defensive awareness will be crucial when defending out wide. Dortmund's full-backs will have to change their ways and press quickly to get tight to the likes of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling and deny them any space or time - learning from Stuttgart's opener last time out (skip to 1:05 in the previous highlights video to have a look).

Meanwhile, players like Reyna will be required to track back and outnumber City's wingers, nullify the overlaps (particularly from Kyle Walker) and take care of what happens in the channels - notably making sure that City's midfielders' darting runs into the area come to nothing.

Bellingham will have a part to play all over the pitch. The teenager will also have to be on high alert to late arrivals into the final third - pressing Rodri, denying him the time to spread play and nicking the ball back from the Spaniard to start breakaways could be a key component to a potential upset.

The England international's midfield colleagues will also have to maintain full concentration throughout the 90 minutes. While the wide defenders surge forward, it will be up to Thomas Delaney (the likely starter at the base of midfield) to plug gaps and make sure City can't find spaces on the break. Mahmoud Dahoud, who started alongside the Dane at the weekend, may not be as deep as his midfield partner but will be expected to provide a screen and slow down City breakouts while the side get back into their defensive lines.

These two will also have to sit tight in the box to close down any space and not give runners opportunities when their opponents look to deliver quality into the area.

Can Borussia Dortmund actually overcome Manchester City?

There is no doubt Dortmund can score and, indeed, through a fantastic combination of Bellingham, Haaland and Reus they managed an away goal in the first leg of the tie. With a hungry, attacking mindset from the off, you would expect BVB to notch one at some point during the match.

However, the key area of the pitch is the defensive third. This Dortmund is, quite simply, not very good defensively, as evidenced by the fact that they have the worst defence in the Bundesliga's top seven (41 conceded in 28 games).

What makes this all the more worrying for Wednesday's clash is not just what City have to offer offensively, but that one goal from the away side forces BVB to score three.

So, while Terzic can understandably expect his men to create chances and notch one or two, it will be his defence that will have the biggest part to play - they need to keep their visitors at bay.

Can they do it? Well, stranger things have happened in the Champions League.