AC Milan View

Olivier Giroud will carry AC Milan's Champions League hopes on his broad shoulders on Tuesday when the veteran striker lines up against Borussia Dortmund at the San Siro.

Giroud has been the man for the big occasion since signing for Milan just over two years ago and the seven-time European champions will need his magic touch as they face a key Group F clash off-form and struggling with injuries.

The 37-year-old has scored eight times for Milan this season and reignited their hopes of reaching the last 16 with a trademark headed winner over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, his only goal in the competition so far coming when it really mattered.

Giroud wants to prolong his career at Milan, where he has had a hugely successful Indian summer, winning Serie A in 2022 and starring in last season's run to the Champions League semi-finals.

"I would like to stay. My contract expires next summer but I haven't spoken to the club about it," said Giroud in a recent interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

"I want to keep going and I think I've got what it takes to do just that. I can still be useful to the team... coming here has been a blessing for me."

Giroud's importance to Milan couldn't have been clearer on Saturday night when, with the France forward suspended, they struggled to a single-goal win over Fiorentina.

A make-shift forward line led by flop summer signing Luka Jovic barely created a chance against Fiorentina, who were only stopped from snatching a late draw by a miraculous Mike Maignan save in stoppage time.

Missing star winger Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor to injury, Giroud's two-match Serie A suspension meant Jovic tried, and failed to make an impression.

- Giroud on target -

Serb Jovic, who arrived as a last-minute free transfer after negotiations for Porto striker Mehdi Taremi broke down, is yet to score or set up a single goal in eight league appearances.

His pass did lead to the penalty with which Theo Hernandez won the match but he also missed a huge opportunity to open his Milan account and suffered the ignominy of being substituted by a 15-year-old.

The introduction of Francesco Camarda, Serie A's youngest ever player, highlighted just how desperate coach Stefano Pioli is in attack and how happy he will be to have Giroud back leading the line against Dortmund.

"The win over PSG boosted our chances and a win against Dortmund would make a huge difference," Pioli said after Saturday's win.

"The boys know what kind of performance we need on Tuesday night, and that makes my job easier."

Beating PSG put Milan third in the group, two points behind leaders Dortmund with PSG sandwiched between the pair in second ahead of their clash with Newcastle United.

It was also by far their best display of a tricky period since October's international break, in which Saturday's win was just their second in seven matches.

However Milan will be without their star performer against PSG, Leao, whose hamstring injury has left Giroud bearing the weight of Milan's attacking ambitions in a match which could define their season.

Dortmund View

Edin Terzic's Borussia Dortmund can seal a spot in the Champions League last 16 by winning at AC Milan on Tuesday, sparking some positivity amid a stuttering domestic campaign.

Already ten points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen with just 12 games played, Terzic's men have however impressed on the European stage this season.

Dortmund sit first in a Champions League group which includes Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle, having conceded just two goals in four matches.

In the league however they are shipping more than 1.5 goals per game on average and look out of the title race with only a third of the season gone.

Now at the helm for almost a year and a half, Terzic has faced heavy criticism in Germany, with some calling for the 41-year-old's head.

Terzic and those in charge at Signal Iduna Park can help to silence the chatter by securing progress to the knockout phase against last season's semi-finalists.

- 'Not that good' -

Speaking at Dortmund's AGM on Sunday, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke contrasted his side's performances in the league with their showings in Europe.

"We were hoping for two or three more points (in the league) at this stage," Watzke said, "but the sky isn't falling."

"We are in first place in the (Champions League) group which cannot be over-estimated. The group is fragile and anything can happen.

"On Tuesday, we have a chance to qualify early with a win. I wouldn't have dared to dream of that at the time of the draw. That's the truth."

Watzke said the club had "been exposed to a media barrage for months that I have not experienced in ages.

"I have to double check every week that we're not fighting relegation!"

The CEO, who took over in 2005 and helped save Dortmund from financial ruin, said "we beat Newcastle, but even then they say 'well they're not that good either.'"

Despite the criticism, Watzke has been Terzic's main advocate, often calling for patience for the Dortmund-born-and-raised coach.

The CEO has drawn parallels between Terzic and former mentor Jurgen Klopp, who did not finish in the top four until his third season in charge, when he won the league.

- 'We don't need to hide' -

Dortmund drew the reverse fixture 0-0 with Milan in October and another draw, or a loss, would most likely mean the German side need to beat Paris at home in December to progress.

Besides the morale boost that would come from making it through this season's strongest Champions League group, qualifying has huge financial importance for the member-run club.

Dortmund, who were European champions 26 years ago, ended a run of three matches without a win in the league on Saturday but made tough work of it, coming from two goals down to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-2 at home.

"It was extremely important that we started the next block of games with a win," Terzic said on Saturday.

Terzic joked with reporters after the Gladbach game that "it definitely won't be boring with us this season" before crediting this side's "spirit, energy and faith" in the comeback.

Dortmund have now rescued 11 points from losing situations this season, the second-highest in the Bundesliga.

They face a season-defining set of fixtures in the lead-up to Christmas, taking on Milan, league leaders Leverkusen, third-placed Stuttgart in the German Cup, RB Leipzig and PSG.

Captain Emre Can, the former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder, said at the AGM on Sunday that the Milan game "won't be easy at all but we'll try and win."

"We are on top of the table. We don't need to hide... we want to measure ourselves against the best."

Watzke also primed his troops for the challenge on Sunday, saying "we live for games like this."