Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel believes his side are slight underdogs for their Champions League quarter-final with Monaco.

The Germans welcome the Ligue 1 leaders to the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday evening before travelling to the principality for the return leg next Wednesday.

Dortmund sit fourth in the Bundesliga table after suffering a 4-1 defeat at rivals Bayern Munich on Saturday and Tuchel feels Monaco’s superior domestic form may give them a small advantage.

“We think they have outstanding individual talent, but they are also very compact as a team and athletically very strong.AIt is a 50-50 game, but the momentum (is) slightly on their side. But we feel ready for this great match, to show what we can do and to win it.”, Tuchel said about the opponents.

The principality side, who are three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and have averaged nearly three goals a game. They became the first team to progress in a Champions League knockout tie after conceding six goals following the thrilling 6-6 away-goal win against City.

Dortmund have endured injuries to key players in recent weeks, but they could welcome back a number of first-team regulars against Monaco. Julian Weigl and Shinji Kagawa are expected to be available, along with right-back Lukasz Piszczek, while creative midfielder Marco Reus may also be fit.

Monaco’s chances have not been helped by the loss of defender Djibril Sidibe, who is in hospital being treated for appendicitis, while midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who scored the deciding goal in the last round against Manchester City, is suspended.

Both sides are bidding to reach the semi-finals of Europe’s premier club competition for a fourth time.

Dortmund previously reached the last four in 2012-13 when they knocked out Spanish giants Real Madrid before losing to Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley.

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