UEFA Champions League star Serhou Guirassy set to lead Borussia Dortmund revival
Serhou Guirassy’s name on the scoresheet in the UEFA Champions League has become a familiar sight this campaign, with the 29-year-old netting goals eight and nine of the campaign against Shakhtar Donetsk to move joint-top of the competition’s scoring charts. It is the latest impressive performance in a still young Borussia Dortmund career that is beginning to gather pace...
Dortmund needed a win against Shakhtar to have any chance of securing a place in the last 16, and while they ultimately prevailed 3-1, it was not enough to push them into the top eight. However, they finished in 10th, just one point adrift of Aston Villa in the final qualification spot, and are through to the play-off round.
Much of their success on the continent this term is down to Guirassy, who has been lethal in front of goal by scoring almost half of his side’s 20 goals in the competition. He failed to score in only two matches – the defeat to holders Real Madrid and the narrow win over Sturm Graz – while completing braces on three occasions. Even in those goalless outings, he managed to provide an assist in each, showing he can influence matches even when his shooting boots desert him.
It is not just in Europe that Guirassy has shown his quality, either. Despite missing three Bundesliga games, including the first two of the campaign, the Guinean has eight goals in 16 appearances. That haul includes winners against St. Pauli and RB Leipzig, with Guirassy’s all-round play against the latter earned exceptionally high praise from Dortmund club legend Roman Weidenfeller.
“He was world class. In my opinion, he is Borussia Dortmund's absolute best transfer after [Erling] Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Robert Lewandowski. What the boy is doing is unbelievable,” the ex-goalkeeper raved.
After four games in the Bundesliga without a goal at the end of 2024 – something of a drought by his standards – BVB’s No.9 has already struck twice in four games this year, and has five in six outings in total. It seems the winter break has given him an extra boost at the start of the new year, and Dortmund will be relying on him to carry that form on for the rest of the campaign.
The Black-Yellows, after all, have a small mountain to climb, at least in the Bundesliga. After 19 games, they find themselves in the unfamiliar surroundings of 11th place, while they trail VfB Stuttgart in the final Champions League qualification spot by six points.
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Their inconsistency has already led to the dismissal of Nuri Şahin, with Niko Kovač to take over the head coach role from Sunday. The Croatian knows only too well how devastating Guirassy can be in front of goal – the ex-Stuttgart star scored five goals in two games against Kovač’s Wolfsburg outfit for the Swabians last term.
Having netted 28 times in the Bundesliga for VfB last season, Guirassy moved to Dortmund in the summer with big objectives. “I just want to score as many goals as possible. I came to BVB to win titles. That is my clear goal. And for that, we need my goals.”
At the moment, Guirassy is holding up his end of the bargain. It remains to be seen whether Dortmund as a whole can follow suit.
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