Viktor Gyökeres: The Key to Sporting CP’s Comeback Aspirations as Sweden Teammate Aims to Derail Him

As FC Barcelona and Liverpool can confirm, recovering from a three-goal deficit in the UEFA Champions League is certainly achievable. This provides a glimmer of hope for Sporting CP as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their knockout stage tie on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a 3-0 loss.

However, the Portuguese club need not look far for motivation ahead of their visit to the Westfalenstadion, having already triumphed over another recent finalist by a three-goal margin earlier in the competition, thumping Manchester City 4-1 during the League Phase.

The standout player that night for what was then Ruben Amorim’s team was Viktor Gyokeres; the Swedish striker netted a hat-trick against the 2023 champions, and if Sporting are to replicate that success, Gyokeres will likely play a crucial role once again.

Having scored six goals in eight appearances in this season’s competition—including strikes against Lille, Sturm Graz, and RB Leipzig—Gyokeres only made a 30-minute appearance in the first leg against Dortmund as he worked his way back to full fitness following a thigh injury.

After returning to the starting XI for a 2-2 draw against Arouca over the weekend, the 26-year-old will be essential for a side that has found the net in every UCL match where he has started.

An early goal in front of the Yellow Wall tomorrow could swiftly alter the tie’s momentum, despite the challenges facing Sporting, who have triumphed just once in 14 UCL matches in Germany and are currently winless in their last five European outings, having gone unbeaten through their first four this campaign.

With an average of 2.2 goals scored during their past 15 UCL home fixtures, it’s likely that the Black & Yellows will comfortably secure their progression to the last 16.

This is also the aim for another up-and-coming Swedish talent joining the Dortmund ranks, Daniel Svensson.

Like his compatriot in Lisbon, Svensson caught the eye of several major European clubs during the January transfer window before eventually signing on loan with Dortmund from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, complete with an €8 million buy obligation for the summer.

The rise of the 23-year-old left-back has been impressive; he debuted for Sweden in October against Estonia. After making a late debut against Stuttgart earlier this month, he played the full 90 minutes in the first leg against Sporting and kept his spot in Niko Kovac’s starting line-up for the recent defeat to Bochum.

That loss was yet another among nine in the Bundesliga this season, placing Dortmund in 11th position, but their form in the UCL has been quite the contrast, having won six out of nine matches and scoring 25 goals in the process.

With Svensson’s keen inclination and ability to attack, this attacking output could likely increase.

“I’m a left-back. I love having the ball and enjoy playing attacking football, pushing forward to score goals,” he stated to Borussia Dortmund following his arrival.

While defence will be crucial in containing Gyokeres and his Sporting colleagues, with Svensson on the pitch, attack may just prove to be Dortmund’s most effective method of defence.