Dillan George
Dailysports's expert
Borussia Dortmund
Sporting CP
Bonus up to $130/€100
On Wednesday, February 19, in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff round, Borussia Dortmund will host Sporting.
The first match ended with a 3-0 victory for the German team. The match will kick off at 18:45 CET. I suggest a bet on goals in this game.
Interesting facts about the match and head-to-head history
- Borussia Dortmund has won 3 of their 4 home matches in the Champions League this season.
- Borussia Dortmund has won just 1 of their last 7 home matches across all competitions.
- Sporting has won only 1 of their last 5 games.
- In 5 matches between these teams, Borussia Dortmund leads 4-1 in victories.
Match preview
Borussia Dortmund is having a disastrous season. The Black and Yellows sit in 11th place with 29 points, a humiliating position for a club of their stature. They are already 8 points behind the top 4, and closing this gap in 12 remaining rounds will be extremely difficult. At this rate, Dortmund risks missing out on European competitions altogether. The coaching change has not helped so far—Niko Kovač was brought in to replace Nuri Şahin.
Over the weekend, Dortmund suffered yet another setback, losing 0-2 to Bochum, a team that was at the bottom of the Bundesliga before the match. Before that, they lost to Stuttgart (1-2) and narrowly beat Heidenheim (2-1). Against this backdrop, their dominant away victory over Sporting in the first leg was even more surprising.
Sporting remains at the top of the Primeira Liga, but after Rúben Amorim left for Manchester United, the team has struggled significantly. Sporting has lost their advantage over Benfica, and now the two Lisbon clubs are locked in a fierce title battle. After 22 rounds, Sporting leads Benfica by only 2 points.
Over the weekend, the Lions unexpectedly dropped points at home against modest Arouca (2-2). Before that, they conceded a late equalizer against Porto (1-1). It looks increasingly likely that Sporting will soon be able to fully focus on their domestic campaign.
Possible lineups
- Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Svensson; Özcan, Groß; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
- Sporting: Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Quaresma, Reis; Debast, Hjulmand; Trincão, Simoes, Biel; Gyökeres
Prediction for Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting
Sporting wasted a lot of chances in the first leg, and Dortmund's attack remains a serious threat. I expect both teams to score in this match.
Bonus up to $130/€100
