FIFA 19: Borussia Dortmund Career Mode Guide, Tactics, Formations & Tips

Jurgen Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga successes in 2011 and 2012, and then a year later helped them reach the Champions League final. But lack in that game, they have been second fiddle to German giants Bayern Munich ever since. Until now it would seem, with BVB leading the Bundesliga at the half way stage, losing just once in the league and marching on to the Champions League knockouts – finishing above Atletico Madrid in the group stage.

With a young, exciting squad led by the sensation Marco Reus, can you deliver the league title to Borussia Dortmund? RealSport gives you all you need to know when taking charge of Die Schwarzgelben.

Team Rating

Borussia Dortmund have a four and a half star rating on FIFA 19, which consists of an 81 attack, 81 midfield and 79 defence.

Formation

Under manager Lucien Favre, BVB have used a 4-2-3-1 wide formation, and for balance you should stick with that system. Possible alternatives include a 4-3-3 attack or a simple 4-4-2.

The improving Roman Burki (87 GK reflexes) is in goal, with Lukasz Piszczek, Manuel Akanji, Omer Toprak and Achraf Hakimi in the back four.

Axel Witsel (92 composure) dominates the midfield alongside Thomas Delaney, with World Cup winner Mario Gotze operating as the number 10. English youngster Jadon Sancho and star man Marco Reus (90 volleys) provide the width whilst new signing Paco Alcacer starts up top.

On the bench go for Marwin Hitz, Abdou Diallo, Raphael Guerreiro, Mahmoud Dahoud, Shinji Kagawa, Christian Pulisic and Maximilian Philipp. 

Tactics and instructions

Borussia Dortmund have always played a fast-paced, counter-attacking game and you should do no differently. Look to get the ball out wide to the feet of Sancho (90 agility) and Reus (87 dribbling) and run at the defence. Paco Alcacer (86 positioning) and Mario Gotze (85 composure) can then find space in the middle and look to finish off the attack.

If play does slow down, which may happen against meaner defences or against passive teams in the Bundesliga, you will need someone to unlock the defence. Despite his physical brawn, Axel Witsel (89 short passing) is still a cute player, and you couple that with the all-round game of Reus (86 long shots) or poaching nature of Alcacer (85 finishing), expect to make the breakthrough at some stage. 

We have tweaked the starting lineup, so a few instructions can be changed from the corresponding tab in team management. Jadon Sancho is such a danger, and will grow into a more reliable player as the season goes on, but to get the most of his movement, tell him to ‘stay wide’ on chance creation and for support runs he should ‘get in behind’.

Marco Reus moves from attacking to left midfield, but he is still a goal scorer in your side. For support on crosses he must be on ‘get into box for cross’ so he can stick a few more away. 

Lastly, Paco Alcacer is such a useful attacker as he can play as a number 9 or drop deep. Make sure his attacking runs are on ‘mixed attack’ so he can keep the defence guessing. 

Training

Training gives you the opportunity to improve your players outside of matchday. To make the most out of your time, use high growth player such as Manuel Akanji, Julian Weigl, Mahmoud Dahoud, Abdou Diallo, Jadon Sancho and Marius Wolf.

The Transfer Market

Starting transfer budget: £64 million

Starting wage budget: £127,000 a week

Who should go

There are no standout names as to who should go from Borussia Dortmund, and you probably should keep hold of your current players until January. The one player you could sell is Marcel Schmelzer, as you are likely to bring in a new left back during the transfer window. The German is the only conventional left-sided defender you have, so it would be a risk to sell him. 

Loans

Whereas there aren’t many candidates to sell, there are a few you can loan out. Jacob Bruun Larsen has received plenty of game time under Lucien Favre this season, but with Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Guerreiro, Maximilian Philipp and Marius Wolf to compete with, he will struggle in your squad. When Pulisic joins up with Chelsea next season, Larsen can fill the void. 

The rest of the loan contenders are youngsters with limited first team action. They include Alaa Bakir, Robin Kehr, Kamal Bafounta and Dominik Wanner. 

Who to sign

New transfer budget: £64 million

New wage budget: £127,000 a week

Conventional left back

As things stand, you have five players who can play left back, but only one is well-equipped to play there, Marcel Schmelzer. Achraf Hakimi has shone there this season, but he is right-footed which lets him down when looking to cross.

Benfica’s Grimaldo would be a perfect fit and is available at a great price. The Spaniard can be bought for around £27 million and his wages only start at £12,000 a week. His 81 overall can improve to an 87 potential, with his best stats 86 balance, 85 acceleration and 85 curve. 

Alternative options

Contracts

With a well-balanced squad, the Dortmund board have done well with tying their best talent to long contracts, as just two players have deals expiring this season. Dzenis Burnic may not get much game time with you this season, but keep an eye on his overall. His potential is only 78 so perhaps doesn’t have a long-term future at the club but could be sold for a respectable price in the years ahead.

It’s a similar case for Dominik Wanner, but with only a 77 potential and 60 starting overall, he can be shown the door. Either ship him in January or release him at the end of the season. 

Managerial objectives

The objectives at Dortmund are slightly more realistic than the other European heavyweights, but you still have to work hard to achieve them. 

Unlike most big clubs, Brand Exposure is the most important with BVB, and here you will need recoup £106 million from shirt sales over the season and earn £150 million from prize money within three seasons. Signing big players will help you with the shirts, and for prize money, don’t forget about the cash you claim from pre-season tournaments. 

Domestic success has a high importance, and you will be expected to win the Bundesliga title but only reach the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal. As for continental, the board want you to reach the Champions League semi-finals this term. 

Youth development has medium importance, requiring you to sign a defender to your youth academy. Not only that, you need to pick up a youth academy player, grow them by 10 overall points, and once they have grown, play them in 10 matches.

Lastly, your financial goal requires you to keep salary growth under 15% for the campaign. See how you are faring in January as you may want to sell one or two fringe players to give you some wiggle room. 

This is the year

Dortmund may have been aided by a change in coach at Der Klassiker rivals Bayern Munich, but you cannot deny how brilliant they have been this season. The team are playing fast, attractive football and are picking up results.

With a squad that can grow into the world’s best, Borussia Dortmund are a fantastic choice on FIFA 19’s Career Mode, but you must target silverware from the get go. The Bundesliga is there for the taking this season, and that has been used as a springboard to charge on in Europe. Add a couple of top quality players to this side and you can start dreaming of a second European trophy for Die Borussen.

Full Borussia Dortmund player ratings