Recent Form
Rangers will feel unfortunate to have drawn a team of Dortmund’s calibre so early in the knockout stages, though will be glad that Erling Haaland is set to miss the first leg through injury.
Full-backs Marcel Schmelzer and Thomas Meunier are doubts as well, in addition to wingers Thorgan Hazard and Marius Wolf, though Dortmund’s squad is big enough to cope with those losses and it’s the Norwegian’s absence that will offer the Gers hope.
Although Dortmund are only six points adrift of Bayern in the Bundesliga following the weekend results, they’ve been quite patchy over the past few months and are W8-D1-L7 across all competitions since the start of November.
However, those defeats have usually come against quite strong outfits, with five of them inflicted by Ajax, Leipzig, Sporting Lisbon, Bayern and Leverkusen.
Dortmund To Win And Over 2.5 Goals
Dortmund are always capable of scoring goals, even in the absence of star man Haaland, but their defending can be described as chaotic at best.
Their clean sheet at Union Berlin this weekend was a first in seven appearances, and in fact they’ve shut their opponents out in just three of those 16 games since the start of November.
15 of them featured at least three goals, while 10 saw a minimum of four, as both teams scored in 13 of these. Each of Dortmund’s past eight victories have featured at least three goals.
Four of Rangers’ past five games have seen more than two goals, and although their 3-0 win over fourth-tier outfit Annan Athletic this weekend saw them register a third consecutive clean sheet, they did concede three times to both Ross County and Celtic during this spell.
The defeat in the Old Firm derby was particularly troubling and this will only be the third time under Giovanni van Bronckhorst that the Gers have faced real quality, having also drawn away to Lyon in a dead rubber in their final group game.
PREDICTION:
DORTMUND TO WIN AND OVER 2.5 GOALS
18+BeGambleAware
GENTING CASINO ONLY OFFERS SPORTS ARTICLES AND NOT SPORTS BETTING
Genting Casino is a leading global casino brand. We provide a premium online casino experience with our huge selection of online slots and live casino games. Genting has been recognized many times for its work in creating fun, safe gaming experiences winning multiple industry awards during its 50 years in business.
