This match is the most even tie this week. Dortmund are struggling to find their groove in the German Bundesliga and they currently sit third in the standings; 13 points below leaders Bayern Munich. They were unbeaten at home in the Champions League group stage, as well as in the Bundesliga. So they are favourites to win this second leg match against Benfica and to qualify for the Quarter Finals. They were unfortunate to suffer a 1-0 loss in the first leg as they created plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. After a great performance in their last domestic league match where they destroyed Leverkusen 6-2, Dortmund enter this game determined to qualify for the QFs.
Dortmund will be missing two of their most important players: attacking midfielder Marco Reus has been ruled out with a thigh injury and Mario Gotze is suffering from a metabolic disorder. However, they do have some good players to replace them; youngsters like Pulisic and Dembele should provide the necessary firepower in front of goal. This season Dortmund have been criticized for failing to convert goal opportunities and as a result they lost the first leg of this match in 1-0 in Lisbon. They have the power to recover and to win by a bigger margin, but in order to do so they will need to be at their best and show what they are really capable of. Since the first leg defeat, Dortmund have played twice, scoring 9 goals and conceding just 2.
Benfica are looking to reach the Champions League QFs for the third time in the last six years. They qualified for the knock-out stage after finishing second in their group behind Napoli. When playing against German teams on their turf, Benfica have a poor historical record. They were the better team in the 1st leg and they deservedly won, but this tie isn’t over and the second leg fixture will be much tougher for them. They will try to defend, allowing Dortmund lots of possession in front of them and to strike on the break.
Dortmund need to be very careful because Benfica can be an amazing team when they are playing away in the Champions League. They’ve scored in 7 of their last 8 UCL matches and they’ve lost only 3 of their last 22 UCL away matches by more than one goal. We expect a thrilling fixture and an amazing show on the terraces from ‘The Yellow Wall’ (Dortmund’s fans).
Best picks for the match:
Over 3 goals AH (Asian Handicap) @ 2.05 with Bet365
Dortmund to win and over 2.5 goals in the match @ 1.91 with BetCris and among other green listed bookmakers.
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