UEFA Champions League: Borussia Dortmund vs. Zenit Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

Borussia Dortmund and Zenit meet tonight at Signal Iduna Park in the second round of the UEFA Champions League. Recently, things haven’t been very well for either of the sides, as they posted unconvincing performances. Borussia plays below the expectations, and even though they didn’t lose too many games, their fans are not thrilled. Zenit won once in the last four matches, which unacceptable for the champions of Russia. 

Preview

Borussia Dortmund (-300) defeated sorry Schalke 3-0 in the last Bundesliga round, bouncing back after a UCL defeat against Lazio. However, we need to say, that the game against the Eagles raised many questions regarding Dortmund’s future.

Even though they have Haaland, Sancho, Reyna, and numerous other youngsters, it seems that this team is full of flaws. Lazio routinely packed three goals, and the Italians also aren’t shining since the season started. The pressure on Lucien Favre is increasing from week to week, and that might be reflecting onto the players.

Now check this out, in only two of Borussia’s eight games played, both teams have scored. All four at home saw over 2.5 goals, the Millionaires netting at least twice. They are still offensive-minded, but at certain points, their players are either too selfish or have some complicated solutions in easy situations. 

Zenit (+850) lost the previous two contests with the same result, 1-2. The first one was against Club Brugge and the latter vs. Rubin Kazan, with both of these events taking place in St. Petersburg.

The defeat against the Belgian champions is a massive setback for the Russians, as they counted on three points here, hoping to surprise either Borussia or Lazio and involve themselves in the race for the second spot and the knockout stage. The way things stand at the moment, it is pretty possible to see Zenit finishing last in Group F.

Latest News

Emre Can has COVID-19, while Marcel Schmelzer and Zagadou won’t be playing for the home team. Nico Schulz and Thorghan Hazard are probably ready to play but still uncertain.

Malcolm is out for the guests, and the situation surrounding Sardar Azmoun’s fitness is still doubtful. His absence would be a massive blow for the guests because he presents their biggest weapon upfront.

Head to Head Matches

Borussia and Zenit played in the 2014 round of 16 UCL knockout stage. The Millionaires had more success then, as they beat the rivals on the road 2-4, before losing at home with 1-2. Marco Reus played back then, scoring a goal in Russia. 

Prediction

It is interesting to see how Zenit responds after two pale games. They are massive underdogs here, and to be perfectly honest, Sergei Semak’s side deserves that status. Borussia is playing efficient matches at home, and once checking the guests’ statistics, we see that they, too, like to play open football. The previous four of their games saw both sides scoring, and four in the last five went over 2.5 scores. 

Over 2.5 goals is our top pick here, with the odds at -250, but if you want to have more profits, go with Over 1.5 goals in the second halftime, at -180.