The UEFA Champions League group phase ends this week, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group H clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Real Madrid (Spa) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Three-Way: 1: Real Madrid -182; X: +434 Draw; 2: Dortmund +600 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Real Madrid -132; Dortmund +131
Total +3.5: Over +104; Under -108
REAL MADRID
The Galacticos are not experiencing the best of form at the moment as they failed to win in the previous two matches and the latest 0:0 draw at San Mames with Bilbao left them eight points behind the Primera Division leaders Barcelona. Real Madrid is struggling this season and they are not as dominant as they were in the past couple of years, which is evident in both Spanish league and the Champions League. Zinedine Zidane’s team already secured the place in the knockout stage of the Champions League, but they will not finish as the top team in the group, with Tottenham Hotspur deservedly topped the group H with 13 points so far.
The Whites didn’t win over Spurs in Madrid and then they were stunned at Wembley, so they will have to satisfy with the second place in the group and get a somewhat stronger rival in the 1/8 finals of the Europe’s elite club competition. The reigning European champions failed to score at Bilbao as the hosts defended well and fought off all Real’s attacks, while Sergio Ramos even received a red card for elbowing late in the tilt. They are big favorites in this clash with Dortmund, but I am not sure whether Real players will be motivated enough knowing that even with a win they cannot go up. On the other hand, the fringe players disappointed in the latest Copa del Rey clash with Fuenlabrada and drew 2:2 at Santiago Bernabeu, so Zidane could opt to give a second chance to the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Nacho, Hakimi, Dani Ceballos, Borja Mayoral, and Gareth Bale.
Real Madrid played 24 games so far in the 2017/18, recording 15 victories, six draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 50:20, which is 2.91 goals per contest on average. The Galacticos suffered one home defeat in 11 matches this season, and it was against Betis when it was 0:1, but Real scored 11 goals in the previous four at Santiago Bernabeu and another two or three goals on Wednesday are widely expected. Still, Zidane’s side allowed four in the last two at home and the Germans will certainly have the opportunity to score a goal or two here. Dortmund never won a game at Santiago Bernabeu on six previous attempts; they managed to snatch a couple of draws, but Real scored at least two goals in each of those six meetings, so keep that in mind if you playing on goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the team’s top scorer with 11 goals in 17 appearances, while Marco Asensio with seven, and Isco and Karim Benzema with five apiece are also the integral contributors to the attack. Gareth Bale is the most creative individual with five assists to his name, Isco has four, while Toni Kroos, Marcelo, and Ronaldo added three assists each. Zinedine Zidane might experiment a little bit on this one as he surely doesn’t want to risk any new injuries to the key players, and I think he could field the weakened starting lineup in order to keep the stars for the upcoming clash with Sevilla in La Liga.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
The Black and Yellows are in a disastrous form of late as they won just one out of the last 11 games, and after a positive start of the season, Dortmund is having plenty of problems at the moment. Borussia didn’t taste the victory in the previous seven matches, and they even had a 4:0 lead in the first 25 minutes over Schalke and somehow managed to drop points by playing 4:4. It is clear that something is very wrong at Signal Iduna Park and the main reason for recent pale displays are injuries. Peter Bosz’s side drew 1:1 in the latest Bundesliga game with Leverkusen, and although they were man up throughout the entire second half, Dortmund only got a point. They are currently in the disappointing 6th position in Germany with already ten points behind the reigning champions Bayern Munich, while the situation in the Champions League is even worse as the Black and Yellows lost the chance to qualify for the knockout phase a long time ago.
Failing to beat APOEL in both duels is simply unacceptable and as a result, Dortmund now can only hope to continue participation in Europe through Europa League. However, that place is not guaranteed yet, as the Cypriot champions APOEL could sneak in the third place ahead of Borussia, in case the Germans suffer a defeat at Santiago Bernabeu and APOEL get a positive result against Tottenham at Wembley, which is less likely, to be honest. Still, there is no excuse for Dortmund’s underperforming in the Champions League this term, and potential elimination from all European competition would be devastating for Bosz’s team.
Borussia Dortmund played 22 games in this campaign, recording nine victories, six draws, and seven losses, with a goal difference of 50:34, which is 3.81 goals per contest on average. Excluding the German Cup game against Magdeburg when Dortmund score five goals in a win, they are without an away win since September, but the Black and Yellows scored at least a goal in 11 out of 12 road matches so far in this season. With that in mind, I assume they will find the net at Santiago Bernabeu like they did the last year when it finished 2:2.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals in 19 appearances, while Maximilian Philipp with six, Andriy Yarmolenko with five, and Marc Bartra with four goals are also significant contributors to the attack. Yarmolenko, Mahmoud Dahoud, and Philipp are the best assist-makers with five dishes apiece, while Mario Gotze added four, and Gonzalo Castro and Shinji Kagawa recorded three assists each. Peter Bosz will be without Philipp (knee), Gotze (ruptured ankle ligament), Castro (torn ankle ligament), Lukasz Piszczek (ruptured knee ligament), Jacob Larsen (knee), Sebastian Rode (bone stress), Marco Reus (ruptured cruciate ligament), and Erik Durm (hip), who are all injured and cannot feature on this one, while Jeremy Toljan is suspended and cannot help his teammates.
Real Madrid (Spa) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Ger) – Match Prediction
The Spaniards are not very motivated for this tilt, while the visitors still have something to fight for, so I am expecting a spectacle here and I think we will see a bunch of goals on both ends.
MY PICK: Over 3.5 goals (+104)
