Skip to main content

Dortmund are the top scorers in the Bundesliga,

Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
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




Popular posts from this blog

Atletico Madrid v Borussia Dortmund: In-form Germans will score again

Atletico Madrid  1.84  v Borussia Dortmund  5.10 ; The Draw  3.75 Tuesday 6 November, 20:00 Live on BT Sport Extra Borussia mark themselves out as contenders with Atletico thumping The reverse fixture produced one of the shock results in the last round of  Champions League  games, as Borussia Dortmund thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 at home. Dortmund's margin of victory against such an experienced European outfit, famed for their defensive solidity, was a major show of intent and marks them out as real contenders to win the competition. At the weekend they continued their fine form with a 1-0 win at  Wolfsburg , which stretched their unbeaten record this season (P17 W14 D3 L0). Lucien Favre's  side are now four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, which is the same number that currently separates Atletico Madrid from the La Liga leaders Barcelona. A 1-1 draw at Leganes over the weekend, stretched Atletico's unbeaten run in their d...

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund: Eagles to build a wall in Berlin

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund Saturday 27 May, 19:00 Live on BT Sport ESPN Eintracht Frankfurt This time last season, Eintracht Frankfurt were  fighting for survival  in a Bundesliga playoff against second-tier side Nurnberg. Fast forward a year, and they are preparing for their first major cup final since 2006, having finished well clear of relegation trouble this term. Having steered the Eagles through that playoff against Nurnberg, coach  Niko Kovac  set about galvanising not just the squad, but the entire club. Working with sporting director Bruno Hubner and former Germany striker Fredi Bobic,  Kovac has injected new life into an organisation that was drifting. Youngsters like defender  Jesus Vallejo  and forward Ante Rebic have been brought in on loan to good effect, and astute pickups like holding midfielder Omar Mascarell and forward Branimir Hrgota have become effective cogs in the machine. Although Frankfurt have twice...

Real Madrid v Plzen: Back hosts' scoring struggles to continue

Real Madrid  1.09  v Plzen  40.00 ; The Draw  15.00 Tuesday 23 October, 20:00 Live on BT Sport ESPN Lopetegui on brink as Madrid malaise continues Ordinarily this match would almost be guaranteed to be a routine home win that had the potential to be embarrassing for the visitors, but these are not ordinary times at  Real Madrid . The Spanish giants are now without a win in their last five games (D1 L4), after losing 2-1 at home to Levante at the weekend.  Marcelo's  72nd minute goal broke a painful spell of 481 accumulated minutes without a goal. Unsurprisingly,  Julen Lopetegui  is under huge pressure and it would be no surprise if he were sacked before this match takes place on Tuesday. If he survives the game and it's aftermath, then Sunday's El Clasico could finish him off. Despite Real's abject form, it would still be a massive shock if they failed to beat Viktoria Plzen, who were thrashed 5-0 by Roma in their most recent...