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

The battle for second place in Group C takes place in Lisbon, where Sporting hosts Borussia Dortmund. These two teams have the same number of points at the moment, but the Millionaires are holding the tie-breaker. The first leg in Germany saw them posting a 1-0 win over the Lions. Though, a lot has changed since, with Sporting starting a superb winning streak, while on the other side, Dortmund becoming unstable. This is without a doubt the biggest game of the year for either club; therefore, don’t miss this event.

Preview

Sporting (+190) has nine consecutive wins, and this row started following a loss in Dortmund. Some would say that the Lions had weak opponents, but having nine consecutive triumphs is impressive, regardless of outside factors.

What we immediately noticed is Sporting’s efficiency, as they failed to score two or more goals only twice throughout this streak. Also, the defense has been up to the challenge constantly, with five clean sheets.

The Lions would smash Besiktas twice, packing 8 goals in the Turkish champions’ net. Those six points leveled them with Borussia in the standings, giving them the chance to reach the minimal deficit from Germany and secure the position in the knockout stage, which would undoubtedly be a massive success for the Portuguese powerhouse.

Borussia Dortmund (+140) is shaky in recent games, and that is all a consequence of not having Erling Haaland, who is out due to an injury. The Norwegian striker is pure gold, and as we said earlier, Reyna, Bellingham, and others are nowhere near when comparing them with Haaland.

The Millionaires won at home in the last game, beating Stuttgart, 2-1. Previously they had back-to-back losses, one in the UCL at home, to Ajax, 1-3, and in Leipzig vs. RB, 2-1.

Overall, their matches are exciting and include many goals, as eight of the last ten saw over 2.5 hits. When on the road, Borussia’s performances are pale, with three defeats in the most recent four outings from Dortmund. Marco Rose’s side couldn’t keep its net intact in seven straight road events.

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Apart from Pedro Porro, who is questionable, all the Sporting’s players are ready for this event.

On the other side, the situation is not bright in Borussia at all. Mats Hummels is suspended due to a red card against Ajax. Zagadou, Reyna, Wolf, Morey, Shulz, and Haaland are injured.

Head to Head Games

In recent years, Borussia and Sporting met three times (including the game from this campaign). The Millionaires posted all three victories.

Mallen scored the game-winner in Dortmund this season.

Prediction

This is a perfect chance for Sporting to post a big win and open the door of the knockout stage. Borussia isn’t anything special on the road, and we will be free to say that they are just an average team when playing away from Signal-Iduna Park. Our pick here would be hosts or draw with the odds on that at -195, but for those who are willing to be a bit riskier, go with Sporting’s win, at +190.

Pick: Sporting or Draw -195

Here are the previews for more UEFA Champions League games:

• Chelsea vs. Juventus
• Villarreal vs. Manchester United
• Sevilla vs. Wolfsburg
• Man City vs. PSG
• Besiktas vs. Ajax