Dortmund – Manchester City : Preview & Prediction
In what will be a fascinating match, Borussia Dortmund will host Manchester City in a crucial clash in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) with just two matchdays left in the group stage. The young BVB side destroyed Stuttgart 5-0 last weekend, with three teenagers (Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna and Youssoufa Moukoko) scoring for the same team in a single match for the first time in Bundesliga history, with this impressive team now looking to avenge their cruel elimination from the UCL group stage last season on goal difference.
Now making a club-record seventh consecutive UCL appearance, Dortmund have fared well in the UCL group stage this season (G2, E1, P1), although that lone defeat came against City in the previous meeting between the two sides (2-1). The Germans now need two points from their last two games to be sure of qualification for the Round of 16, but know that only a point here would help them, due to a superior head-to-head record over Group G rivals Sevilla and Copenhagen.
The visitors are not under the same pressure, having already secured their place in the Round of 16 with two games in hand (G3, E1). However, coach Pep Guardiola will be aware that, if he avoids defeat here, his City will qualify in first place, so expect complacency from an English giant that has lost just two of its last 27 matches at this stage (G20, E5).
However, the Citizens recorded a 0-0 draw in Copenhagen in their last away game in the UCL, their first game of the campaign in which they failed to score, before also failing to score in a 1-0 loss to Liverpool. However, a comfortable 3-1 win over Brighton at the weekend, in which Erling Haaland bagged a brace just as he did in their 4-0 win over Sevilla on Matchday 3, means City should feel confident of securing a result that will see them finish top of their UCL group for a fifth consecutive season.
Players to watch: Bellingham is in excellent form, becoming the third youngest player to score a league double for Dortmund last weekend, and he also scored the first goal when these teams last met. Looking to slow down the midfielder’s runs will be Manuel Akanji, the former BVB defender who arrived at City during the summer, having previously played for the Germans along with teammate Haaland.
Key stat: Dortmund have not beaten Premier League opponents in their last nine attempts (E1, P8).
Dortmund – Manchester City : Betting Tips
Manchester City – Win Odds: 1.65
