Prediction: Sporting Lisbon vs Borussia Dortmund

Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw

Best Odds: 9/1

Bookmaker: Zetbet

Sporting Libson and Borussia Dortmund will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Champions League this week. The first leg of the playoff round tie between the Portuguese Primeira Liga club and the Bundesliga outfit will be held at Estádio José Alvalade and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Tuesday.

Sporting Lisbon

Sporting Lisbon are one of the biggest clubs in Portugal and are used to winning the domestic league title and playing in Europe’s biggest club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League.

Verde e brancos won the Portuguese Primeira Liga title last season under Ruben Amorim, who left for Manchester United in November. Things are going pretty well under his successor, Rui Borges, with Sporting four points clear of second-placed Benfica at the top of the league table after 21 rounds of the matches,

Sporting, though, could have fared much better in the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese powerhouse ended up as low as 23rd in the League Stage table with 11 points from eight games, level on points with 25th-placed Dinamo Zagreb, who just missed out on the playoffs. Sporting will head into the UEFA Champions League game against Dortmund this week on the back of a 1-1 draw with FC Porto away from home in the league.

Team News:

Sporting Lisbon are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Borussia Dortmund. Israel will be in goal for the Portuguese club and will have Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio and Araujo in front of him in defence. Braganca, Debast and Morita will be the three midfielders. Trincao, Gyokeres and Quenda are likely to be the three forwards.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund are one of the biggest clubs in Germany who have done extremely well over the years. They regularly challenge for the Bundesliga title and also feature in Europe’s bigger club competitions, such as the UEFA Champions League.

Dortmund ended up fifth in the Bundesliga table last season, but they could still qualify for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign. It has not been easy for head coach Nuri Sahin was appointed the German club’s head coach in the summer of 2024, but the club parted company with him in January 2024.

Niko Kovac is now in charge of Dortmund, who will be determined to be successful in the second half of the season. Die Borussen are 11th in the Bundesliga table right now with 29 points from 21 games and are seven points off the fourth spot. In the League Stage of the UEFA Champions League this season, Dortmund finished 10th in the table with 15 points from eight games, just a point behind Aston Villa, who ended up eighth and automatically qualified for the Round of 16 in Europe’s premier club competition.

Team News:

Borussia Dortmund are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Sporting Lisbon. Kobel will be in goal for the German club. Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini will be the four defenders. Sabitzer and Gross will be the two holding midfielders. Adeyemi, Brandt and Gittens will be deployed in attacking midfield. Guirassy will lead the line for Dortmund against Sporting.

Key Factors to Consider

• Sporting Lisbon have lost 3 of their last 4 UEFA Champions League games.
• Sporting Lisbon have won 3 of their last 6 matches in all competitions.
• Viktor Gyökeres has scored 22 goals in 20 matches for Sporting Lisbon so far this season.
• Borussia Dortmund have won 3 of their last 6 UEFA Champions League games.
• Borussia Dortmund have won 2 of their last 6 matches in all competitions.

Conclusion

Both Sporting Libson and Borussia Dortmund are big clubs and have very strong teams. The first leg of the tie between the Portuguese giants and the German outfit promises to be hugely exciting and promising. It is very likely that there will be a few goals in the game, which could end in high-scoring draw.

Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw

Best Odds: 9/1

Bookmaker: Zetbet