Team news, predicted lineups and key insights ahead of Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Betis in the 2026/27 Champions League.

On Wednesday, Real Betis center-back Marc Bartra will return to Borussia Dortmund for the first time as an opposing player since leaving the club in 2018. The Spanish defender only spent a year-and-a-half with the Black and Yellows, but the bomb attack incident before the Champions League fixture against Monaco created a special bond between him and the fans.

The 35-year-old will now face his former club in the same competition where both teams will hope to push for a place in the knockout stages. Dortmund were stunned at Bodø/Glimt on matchday 2, but they narrowly beat Villarreal and Sabah thanks to goals from Serhou Guirassy.

Meanwhile, the expectations were little for the returnee Betis, but they have won all three games so far with battling performances against LOSC Lille, FC Porto and Feyenoord. In addition to Bartra, Isco (34), who is a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, has been instrumental in their return to Europe's premier competition.

Impressively, Manuel Pellegrini’s side managed the fixture congestion as they sit fourth in LaLiga behind the traditional top three clubs. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund remained level on points with FC Bayern at Bundesliga summit after earning a late draw from their visit to Allianz Arena.

Niko Kovac's men hardly knock out opponents, but they're doing well in all three competitions in the second full season for the Croat coach. As such, Dortmund bosses gladly extended his contract prematurely until June 2029.

The 2023/24 finalists could dream to go further in Champions League once again, although they could push more for the Bundesliga crown after the promising signs in recent months. With the exception of the 2-2 draw with Niclas Füllkrug's Werder Bremen, who scored twice after the 88th minute mark, BVB have won all their home games so far in all competitions.

Head-to-head 

This will be the first competitive fixture between the two clubs. Dortmund won 2-0 in a pre-season friendly back in 2015, with the goals coming from Colombian striker Adrian Ramos and current Arminia Bielefeld coach Oliver Kirch.

Team News

The big team news for Dortmund is the return of Greece international Konstantinos Karetsas as a substitute in Der Klassiker. Fabio Silva could regain his starting spot after his heroics against the Rekordmeister as he once again showed his frustration over lack of playing time.