Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Hotspur
There have been some great nights over the years at the Signal Iduna Park and boy, does Lucien Favre and his Dortmund team need one now?
It’s back to the Champions League for the Bundesliga league leaders when Spurs comes to town, and the Yellow Wall will need to be at its most loud and imposing from the very first whistle. The visitors have a three-goal cushion after the first leg at Wembley, one of the more surprising Champions League 2019 results of the round, as BVB was flying high in the Bundesliga at the time and looked more than comfortable in the first half. That means Spurs, at 17.00 to win the tournament, are clear favourites to go through, but the tie is still, just about, alive.
Neither team comes into the game in the best spirits, Spurs winning just a single point in three Premier League games, while Borussia Dortmund has allowed FC Bayern to close the gap at the top of the Bundesliga after a recent run of inconsistency.
Talking Points
Both BVB and Spurs have had notable absentees, but they each have had a big player return in the last two weeks. Who is going to grab the headlines on Tuesday night?
Can Marco Reus lift BVB to new heights?
A thigh injury has kept Dortmund’s skipper out of the side but he remains his club’s
joint top league scorer in the league, on 13 alongside Paco Alcacer. Reus made a return at the weekend but couldn’t inspire his team to an expected win. A trip to Bavaria on Friday night turned out to be a nightmare for BVB as they went down to Augsburg with only Paco Alcacer getting on the score sheet in a 2-1 defeat. And that has allowed FC Bayern to catch up at the top of the table.
Reus looked leggy and the home fans will hope the extra four days recuperation will have their skipper back to his best. An early goal for the hosts will have the place bouncing and if they can reach half time with a lead, and with their goal intact, we could get the historic night the Yellow Wall yearns for.
English wing wizard Jadon Sancho might hold the key. At times he has been unplayable and the Spurs defence has looked suspect of late, with full-back Kieran Trippier, among others, struggling for form. But goals can come from anywhere.
Left wing back Raphael Guerreiro is BVB’s top scorer in the competition with four.
Can Spurs get a win with Harry Kane back in the side?
Out of both domestic cups and with their top four spot in the Premier League under serious threat, as both Manchester United and Arsenal have made ground over the last couple of weeks, Spurs needs a boost. Qualification is a must, given they arrive in Dortmund with a three-goal start and no away goals in the first leg. But they haven’t won in the three games since Kane reappeared, and there have been questions over the balance of the side, Heung-Min Son’s goals drying up since the skipper rejoined squad. But Kane is such an important player, Mauricio Pochettino can’t leave him out and his side needs to find its feet again.
Kane is Spurs’ top scorer in the Champions League with four goals so far.
Since his return to the Spurs team after a lengthy injury lay-off, Kane has been on target twice in three appearances, once in defeat to Burnley and then with a well-taken penalty in the North London Derby at the weekend. That earned the Whites a crucial point against Arsenal, as well as Hugo Lloris saving a late Gunners spot kick.
I think Poch would take another draw right now, but a defeat, even if they qualify, won’t go down well with the twitchy Spurs fans.
History
The head to heads favour the visitors. BVB has won two of the seven meetings with one drawn and four victories for Spurs. Of course, a devastating second-half spell almost took the tie away from Dortmund, as Spurs scored three times after the break in the first leg at Wembley. Indeed Dortmund hasn’t won any of its last three games against Spurs.
But then Tottenham has lost its last four games on the road and that will prompt the Yellow Wall to try to roar that vital first goal into the Spurs net.
SBOBET Asian Handicap sports betting is the way to play when there’s a big deficit for one team to make up, with plenty of options available, so let’s take a look.
Betting Tip
Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Hotspur | Borussia Dortmund 1X2 @ 1.96 | |
March 06, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
But do you know what? I’m going for a straight home win. The BVB vs Spurs betting odds have the draw at 3.55 and Spurs at 3.60. But the Whites’ away form, coupled with Dortmund’s firepower and hunger to get things right, lead me to think Reus can lead his team to win.
Will it be enough to take the Germans through to the quarter-finals? That’s doubtful but BVB must dare to dream.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: | |||
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= €20 (Highly confident) | = €10 (CONFIDENT) | = €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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