The 2023-24 Champions League will now move to a crucial phase, with the game week three scheduled to be played between October 24-25.

One peculiar thing about game week three is that the same teams will play each other in the reverse fixture in the next game week. So, if PSG face AC Milan at home in gameweek three, they will travel to San Siro for game week four. Hence, game week three is the start of an essential phase for teams looking for qualification to the round of 16.

And one of the most pivotal clashes will be between Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United. In fact, Group F has been made in such a way that every game week will bring two top clashes. After two games, Newcastle United sit on top of the table courtesy of their brilliant 4-1 win over Paris Saint Germain two weeks back. They are dark horses to go far in the Champions League this season and the solid victory against PSG was a serious message to the rivals.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund are bottom of the table with no win in their two outings. Their star in the tournament is in contrast with their league form, where they are fourth, only two points adrift of top-place Bayer Leverkusen. They are yet to score in this tournament, with a goalless draw against Milan (conceding 1.40 expected goals) and a defeat 2:0 against PSG (generating just 0.51 expected goals).

Dortmund this season have been heavily reliant on Julian Brandt, who has been their creative force for the team. The German has provided four assists and created 26 chances, the second-most in the league. However, form has eluded them so far in the Champions League, which is why this game against Newcastle is a perfect opportunity to mount some kind of comeback.

Meanwhile, Eddie Howe’s men are on sky-high confidence after their win over PSG. A win like this is historic for a club like the Magpies, who are now looking to break into the European elite club list. Furthermore, the club have not been overly reliant on any single player. This, combined with their newly found squad depth, has ensured that any injury or suspension does not negate the quality of the team.

Alexander Isak and Antony Gordon were supreme in attack, with Kieran Trippier being the creative force and Bruno Guimaraes bossing the game in the middle of the park. Newcastle United will be now more secured after Joelinton and Antony Gordon returned from injuries and featured prominently in their 4-0 win over Crystal Palace. Gordon even got on the scoresheet. Even Isak didn’t feature in the starting 11, making only a substitute appearance, which means he will be fresh for the Champions League game.

The goalkeeper and the back four are expected to be the same, with Nick Pope, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, and Kieran Trippier. Guimaraes will form a triumvirate in midfield with Sean Longstaff and Joelinton. Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron will replace Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson in the attack.

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, are coming off a strongly fought 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. Julian Brandt scored the only goal and will be expected to perform similarly if the Germans want to come away with anything from St. James Park.

With the options and the quality of the Newcastle side, Edin Terzic will most likely play the same slide, which will comprise off a backline consisting of Julian Ryerson, Nico Schlotterbeck, Matt Hummels, and Marius Wolf. Ahead of them will be a three-man midfield of Donyell Malen, Emre Can, and Felix Nmecha, with Marco Reus and Brandt playing ahead as the creative midfielders with last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Niclas Fullkrug as the sole striker.

Based on the starting 11, bench strength, form, and home support, Newcastle United look clear favourites to take all three points from the game. Moreover, their win over PSG has given them the confidence that they can put the best of teams to the sword if they perform at their best.

And with the home back backing them, it looks a very tall order for Borussia Dortmund to trouble them seriously. BVB have also lost their last six consecutive away games against English opponents, and everything goes in favour of Newcastle here to make the 7th.

2023-24赛季的欧冠联赛将进入关键阶段，第三场比赛将在10月24日至25日举行。

第三场比赛的一个特别之处在于，同样的球队将在下一场比赛中进行相反的比赛。因此，如果巴黎圣日耳曼在第三周主场面对AC米兰，他们将在第四周前往圣西罗。因此，第三周的比赛是球队进入16强的关键阶段的开始。

其中最关键的一场比赛将是多特蒙德和纽卡斯尔联队之间的比赛。事实上，F组是这样组成的，每个比赛周都会有两场顶级交锋。两场比赛后，纽卡斯尔联队凭借两周前4-1大胜巴黎圣日耳曼的辉煌战绩位居积分榜榜首。他们是本赛季在欧冠赛场上走得更远的黑马，对巴黎圣日耳曼的稳固胜利给了对手一个严肃的信息。

与此同时，多特蒙德在两场比赛中没有获胜，排名垫底。他们在联赛中的出色表现与他们在联赛中的表现形成了鲜明对比，他们在联赛中排名第四，只比第一名勒沃库森落后两分。他们在本届比赛中还没有进球，0比0战平米兰(预期失1.40球)，0比2输给巴黎圣日耳曼(仅产生0.51球)。

本赛季多特蒙德非常依赖朱利安·勃兰特，他一直是球队的创意力量。德国人提供了4次助攻，创造了26次机会，在联赛中排名第二。然而，到目前为止，他们在欧冠赛场上的状态一直不佳，这就是为什么这场对纽卡斯尔的比赛是一个完美的机会来进行某种程度的逆转。

与此同时，埃迪·豪的球员在战胜巴黎圣日耳曼后信心十足。这样的胜利对于喜鹊这样的俱乐部来说是历史性的，他们现在正在寻求进入欧洲精英俱乐部的名单。此外，俱乐部没有过度依赖任何一个球员。这一点，再加上他们新发现的阵容深度，确保了任何伤病或停赛都不会影响球队的实力。

亚历山大·伊萨克和安东尼·戈登在进攻端是至高无上的，基兰·特里皮尔是创造性的力量，布鲁诺·吉马良斯在中场控制着比赛。在乔林顿和安东尼·戈登伤愈复出并在4-0战胜水晶宫的比赛中发挥了重要作用后，纽卡斯尔联队现在更加稳固了。戈登甚至上了记分表。甚至伊萨克也没有出现在首发11人名单中，只是替补出场，这意味着他将在欧冠比赛中保持新鲜。

门将和四名后卫预计将保持不变，分别是尼克·波普、丹·伯恩、法比安·沙尔、贾马尔·拉塞尔斯和基兰·特里皮尔。吉马良斯将与朗斯塔夫和约林顿组成三头中场。亚历山大·伊萨克和米格尔·阿尔米隆将取代雅各布·墨菲和卡勒姆·威尔逊。

与此同时，多特蒙德在一场激烈的比赛中1-0战胜了云达不莱梅。朱利安·勃兰特打进了唯一的进球，如果德国人想要从圣詹姆斯公园带走任何东西，他也会有同样的表现。

考虑到纽卡阵容的选择和实力，泰奇奇很可能会出现同样的情况，他的后防线将由朱利安·赖尔森、尼科·施洛特贝克、马特·胡梅尔斯和马吕斯·沃尔夫组成。排在他们前面的将是由马伦、埃姆雷·詹和恩米查组成的三人中场，罗伊斯和布兰特作为富有创造力的中场，上赛季德甲最佳射手富勒克鲁格作为唯一的前锋。

从首发11人、替补阵容、状态和主场的支持来看，纽卡很有可能从比赛中全取三分。此外，他们对PSG的胜利给了他们信心，如果他们发挥出最好的水平，他们可以把最好的球队置于剑中。

在主场的支持下，多特蒙德想要给他们制造麻烦似乎是一项艰巨的任务。BVB在最近的六场客场对阵英格兰对手的比赛中也输掉了比赛，一切都有利于纽卡斯尔进入第七名。