Prediction: Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Newcastle will set out for revenge on Tuesday evening as they face Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park in a Champions League Group F clash.

Eddie Howe’s team experienced their first loss of the season in continental competition against the German powerhouse just two weeks ago. They were defeated 1-0 at St James’ Park, causing them to fall behind Edin Terzic’s squad in what has become an intriguing group.

Borussia Dortmund

Even the formidable Dortmund team might have approached their trip to Newcastle with a sense of apprehension two weeks ago, having seen the Magpies dismantle French champions Paris Saint-Germain on previous matchday. However, Edin Terzic’s well-organized defence halted Newcastle’s momentum in its tracks.

Compared to the team that scored four goals against PSG, Newcastle appeared a shadow of their former selves and struggled to break through Dortmund’s solid back line. In the 45th minute of the match, Nico Schlotterbeck made a decisive run down the field and set up Felix Nmecha for the crucial goal.

With both teams now level on four points in the “group of death,” having identical records of one win, one draw, and one loss in their first three group-stage matches, Dortmund hold the advantage over Newcastle due to their head-to-head result. Meanwhile, group leaders PSG are only two points ahead.

Dortmund are set to reach a significant milestone this week, becoming only the second Bundesliga team, after Bayern Munich, to play 150 games in the Champions League. However, they were handed a tough defeat in their most recent match, with Harry Kane leading the way for their opponents in a 4-0 loss to the champions in the latest edition of Der Klassiker.

The defeat ended Dortmund’s eight-game unbeaten run across all competitions in painful fashion, and their revenge-seeking opponents also have a knack for putting an end to unbeaten streaks.

Team News

Following their 4-0 defeat against Bayern, there were few silver linings for Dortmund, but at least they didn’t suffer any new injuries. Currently, three players are dealing with injuries.

Emre Can continues to struggle with a hip issue that he picked up towards the end of the first half against Newcastle two weeks ago. Mateu Morey is in the process of recovering from a knee injury. Julian Duranville is also recovering from a thigh injury.

Furthermore, against Bayern, none of Marius Wolf, Donyell Malen, and Salih Ozcan completed a full hour on the pitch. This could lead to potential changes in the lineup, with Karim Adeyemi and St James’ Park matchwinner Felix Nmecha possibly vying for spots. A return for Ramy Bensebaini at left-back is also a possibility.

Newcastle

Much like their previous encounter with Arsenal in January, Eddie Howe’s team managed to keep the Gunners at bay with relative ease in the absence of Martin Odegaard.

However, controversy involving the match officials emerged, as Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes narrowly escaped red cards during a heated end to the first half. Newcastle would go on to hand Arsenal their first top-flight loss of the season with a highly debated goal by Anthony Gordon.

The decision surrounding Gordon’s goal led to three unprecedented VAR checks, causing chaos at St James’ Park. Ultimately, it was determined that the ball did not go out of play, Joelinton did not commit a foul on Gabriel Magalhaes, and Gordon was not in an offside position, confirming Newcastle’s goal. This decision left Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta highly critical of the quality of Premier League officiating at the end of the match.

While Arsenal fans remained frustrated, Newcastle had reason to celebrate another remarkable week. They not only avenged their loss in the previous year’s EFL Cup final to Manchester United by defeating the defending champions 3-0 in the fourth round at Old Trafford, but they also aim to end a 20-year drought without a Champions League away win.

This historic victory against German opposition occurred under the management of Sir Bobby Robson when they beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in February 2003. Eddie Howe now hopes to follow in the footsteps of his late compatriot as the next English manager to secure a Champions League away win against a Bundesliga team for the Magpies.

Team News

However, Howe faces some difficulties ahead of this match as his squad increases in number of players injured. At the moment, Jacob Murphy appears to have suffered a recurrence of his shoulder dislocation after coming off the bench in the Arsenal match, Dan Burn tweaked his back after a heavy fall and was substituted at halftime, Matt Targett is dealing with a hamstring issue, Alexander Isak has a groin problem, Harvey Barnes has a foot injury, Elliot Anderson is recovering from a back injury, Sven Botman has a knee problem,and Javi Manquillo is dealing with a groin injury.

Further more, Sandro Tonali is suspended for 10 months for betting-related offences.

With no Targett and potentially no Burn available at Signal Iduna Park, Tino Livramento could be called upon to fill in at left-back. Lewis Hall is another young alternative for the position.

Conclusion

Despite a long list of absentees, Newcastle displayed commendable defensive discipline in their match against Arsenal, and a morale-depleted Dortmund should not anticipate a replication of their victory at St James’ Park when playing in front of their home crowd.

On the other hand, Newcastle still aren’t on the level of Bayern Munich. They’re likely to avoid defeat, but they aren’t very likely to win.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet