Sports Mole provides an overview of Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon, including predictions, squad news and possible lineups.
german giants Borussia Dortmund will seek to make two victories out of two Champions League group stage matches on Tuesday, when they host the Portuguese champions Sports Lisbon at Signal Iduna Park.
Marco roseAjax’s side kicked off their campaign with a victory over Besiktas in the opening round, while the visitors will be eager to recover from a beating at the hands of Ajax.
Match preview
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After reaching the quarter-finals last season, Borussia Dortmund will have been hoping for another solid Champions League campaign this quarter, and they started with a win on the road.
Marco Rose’s side traveled to Istanbul to face Turkish champions Besiktas, and the goals of Jude bellingham and Erling Braut Haaland saw them take a 2-0 lead at the break, before Francisco Montero scored a consolation goal in the 94th minute for the hosts.
It was part of a solid form for Der BVB, as they recorded four straight wins in all competitions, including a spectacular 4-3 league win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Unsurprisingly, Rose’s men sit near the top of the Bundesliga’s scoring charts, with only league leaders Bayern Munich surpassing their total of 17 goals in six outings, although more worryingly, their 12 goals conceded. are more than any other team in the top half of the table.
After that four-game winning streak, Dortmund suffered a disappointing loss last time around, as Rose saw former club Borussia Mönchengladbach take a 1-0 home win thanks to Denis zakariagoal of the first half, and they will now be keen to bounce back and strengthen their candidacy for qualification in the European elite competition.
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Sporting Lisbon had a much worse start to the group stage, hosting Eredivisie champions Ajax in the Portuguese capital.
A Sebastien haller double gave the visitors a two-goal lead in the opening 10 minutes, and, while Paulinho brought back a goal for Os Leoes, Steven berghuis quickly restored Ajax’s cushion before Haller scored two more second-half goals to doom them to a 5-1 beating.
After winning the Primeira Liga title for the first time since 2002 last season, Ruben AmorimThe team got off to a good start in defense, with five wins and two draws from their first seven matches, but they are already four points behind Benfica, who got off to a perfect start.
The Lisbon side rebounded from the loss to Ajax with a 1-0 victory at Estoril in the nation’s top flight, before beating Maritimo by the same score at home last time around.
The match looked set to end a goalless until Amorim’s men won a penalty in added time, and Pedro Porro converted the one-time kick to seal a vital three-point goal.
They will now look to build on what would be another crucial outcome to ensure they don’t fall too far behind in the race to qualify for the Champions League round of 16.
Form of the Champions League Borussia Dortmund:
Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):
Sporting Lisbon Champions League form:
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):
Team news
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Borussia Dortmund are monitoring the fitness of several key players, while the winger Giovanni Reyna, Midfielder Emre can and back Mateu Morey will certainly be missing.
Julien brandt is recovering from a blow to the ankle, and he’s unlikely to be thrown there anytime soon, while Rose will keep a close watch on whether star forwards Erling Braut Haaland and Marco reus will be in good shape after missing the defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
If deemed ready, Haaland will lead the line after topping the Champions League scoring charts with 10 goals last season, and he’s picked up where he left off, registering 11 goals and four assists in eight games in all competitions so far this campaign, including an eye-catching brace in his last appearance as they beat Union Belin 4-2.
Midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud was sent off in the defeat to Gladbach, but his suspension will be carried over to the next Bundesliga match, allowing him to join Axel witsel and prospect Jude Bellingham in the engine room Tuesday.
Sporting Lisbon should remain without star striker Pedro Gonçalves, who scored 23 league goals in his winning campaign last season, as he continues to heal an injury that saw him miss the Ajax clash.
He is expected to be joined in the treatment room again by the central defender Gonçalo Inacio, even if Sebastien coates has since returned to defense after missing Ajax’s defeat by suspension, with the Uruguayan required to move up the back line somewhat.
Amorim strengthened his squad over the summer with the Spanish winger signing on loan Pablo Sarabia of Paris Saint-Germain, and he will support Paulinho, who has taken on more offensive responsibilities in Gonçalves’ absence.
Possible starting eleven for Borussia Dortmund:
Kobel; Miller, Akanji, Hummels, Guerrero; Bellingham, Dahoud, Witsel; Malen, Haaland, Danger
Possible starting eleven of Sporting Lisbon:
Adan; Neto, Coates, Feddal; Porro, Palhinha, Nunes, Vinagre; Sarabia, Paulinho, Santos
We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Sporting Lisbon
Der BVB will certainly excel in the future and, even without a number of important players, they have enough quality to doom the Portuguese champions to another defeat.
If Haaland is judged fit, he hopes to continue his eye-catching form on the mainland stage with another galloping performance, and we won’t be looking past Rose’s men securing another top-tier victory, especially if the Norwegian star leads. line.
Superior council
Our expert tipster partners on Sporita.com predict a home victory in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their proven football tips.Home win: curl
