Borussia Dortmund - Finding its feet

While arguably riding its luck of late, Borussia Dortmund (BVB) is well-placed to exploit immediate Bundesliga and Europa League opportunities. However, there is minimal room for error in terms of prized Champions League qualification, the driver of our forecast improvement in FY19 operational profit (in Bundesliga just four points separate the second place from sixth and BVB is ranked only fourth since the winter break). To its credit, BVB’s Q2 financial performance was much more assured than on the field, with steady revenue and slightly lower EBITDA without the buttress of transfers. The rise in our current-year forecast is due wholly to January transfers (notably Aubameyang), further proof of Dortmund’s ability to generate substantial hidden reserves.