Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
Live on BT Sport
Dortmund 2.56, Draw 3.80, Real Madrid 2.86
Live on BT Sport
Dortmund 2.56, Draw 3.80, Real Madrid 2.86
Occasionally the Champions League group stage throws up a humdinger of clash, and this week we have two of the best and they both involve clubs from the Bundesliga and Madrid.
Bayern Munich's clash with Atletico will be a fascinating repeat of last year's engrossing semi-final, while Real Madrid's trip to Borussia Dortmund simply promises to be a right ding-dong of a game as they have been over the years.
These are two teams full of extremely talented players but led by completely different coaches.
Madrid boast Zinedine Zidane, a coach who won everything as a player and then moved into elite coaching to immediate success. Zidane has a serene air to him and his sides don't have a particularly notable playing style, he just focuses on keeping his players happy and confident.
Dortmund are managed by Thomas Tuchel, an intense coach (albeit less so than predecessor Jurgen Klopp) whose distinctive playing patterns involve high-energy pressing and fast-transition attacks. A modest playing career meant he had to work his way up through the ranks but now he has arrived at the top and Tuchel is considered one of Europe's finest young coaches.
At Signal Iduna Park, there is little doubt that Dortmund will have a good go at Real Madrid and that will suit the defending champions. Cristiano Ronaldo was taken off (much to his disgust) late-on at Las Palmas to keep fresh for this game and that suggests we're looking at the first-choice 'BBC' front three from Madrid.
Luka Modric, their beating heart, is back but Zidane has suffered an injury in the only position in his entire squad that he doesn't have back-up - defensive midfield. Casemiro has proven a vital player for this Madrid side and they'll be without his defensive influence in the centre of the park. The likes of Mario Gotze and Shinji Kagawa will look to exploit that space.
With Dortmund having played on Friday night and Real Madrid on Saturday near the equator, the German side will be fresher. Both sides have played five games in the last two weeks but the Bundesliga giants haven't had to travel 6,000km since Friday like their opponents.
That isn't to be underestimated against a team who will harry and press you.
Dortmund also boast an assassin of a centre-forward in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who will punish any mistakes - and if you've been watching Sergio Ramos recently, you'll know that has to be a real concern.
The big expectation for this game is goals. Madrid obviously have plenty in their side while every Dortmund game bar one this season has gone over 2.5 goals. They're the top scorers in the Bundesliga, with more than even Bayern, and they've only failed to score once at home in any competition in 2016 - a 0-0 draw with Bayern in March.
If they score first then this could be a brilliant Wild West shootout of a game. Casemiro's absence will feed into that, and Madrid's failure to buy anyone of a similar profile in the summer helps make our mind up about the plays for this game.
Best bet
Back over 3.5 goals at 2.34
