Champions League: The Group of Death is Still Up for Grabs

AC Milan vs Borussia Dortmund

Rossoneri will brave the threat of Dortmund when they face off in San Siro for a Champions League clash that will surely shift the Group F standings once again.

Unfortunately for Stefano Pioli, his team will be shorthanded during the group stage bout against BVB. They will get some much-needed players back in the lineup, but in the same breath, they will lose two key players as well.

Meanwhile, BVB have been having a rough stretch in the Bundesliga, but their form in the Champions League is unfazed. Can they keep producing favourable Champions League 2023 results amidst the devastating losses in the German top flight?

Talking Points

Rossoneri have key players back

AC Milan are missing a few key players at such an inopportune time. Fortunately, they will have a few key players back by the time they host Group F leaders Dortmund for their Champions League clash.

It has been reported that Davide Calabria and Christian Pulisic have successfully recovered from their injuries and have been available for Stefano Pioli for their Serie A match against Fiorentina. This could mean that both players could also suit up for AC Milan for their match against Dortmund.

The Rossoneri aren’t out of the woods yet, because despite getting key players back in rotation, they will also lose some players in return. Milan can’t catch a break. Two of their leading goal scorers will be absent for their bout against Dortmund. Olivier Giroud is serving his two-game suspension for his antics during their 2-2 draw against Lecce, while Rafael Leao mends his muscle injury that he sustained during the same Lecce match.

Losing this much firepower will definitely be a blow to Stefano Pioli’s offence, but AC Milan know that every point is crucial in the group of death, so still expect a spirited effort from Rossoneri.

Will Dortmund’s struggles in the Bundesliga cost them?

Dortmund suffered back-to-back crushing defeats against rivals in the Bundesliga, which can affect their performance in the Champion’s League. The highly anticipated Der Klassiker left some fans underwhelmed due to the lack of competitiveness from Edin Terzić’s side. Harry Kane singlehandedly dismantled Dortmund with his efficiency and scoring prowess. The former Tottenham star thrashed his new club’s rivals by scoring his third hat-trick in the German top flight.

Dortmund were helpless against Kane and Bayern in Der Klassiker, failing to score a single goal despite having more attempts at the goal than Bayern. They fell to rivals Bayern with a 0-4 clean sheet defeat.

They then tried to turn their luck around with a visit to MHPArena to go against another Bundesliga contender, Stuttgart. It seemed like the demolition job they suffered during Der Klassiker got into their heads, as they looked uninspired against Stuttgart. Edin Terzić’s squad let an early lead slip away, eventually conceding the match with a 2-1 come-from-behind Stuttgart win.

Fortunately for Dortmund, their woes in the Bundesliga don’t seem to reflect on their form in the Champions League. BVB are faring beautifully against Europe’s best and are currently the top seed in the notorious group of death. They edged out Newcastle in their last group stage match and will try to extend their win streak when they face Milan.

History

This will be just the third time these established clubs face each other on the pitch. In their past head-to-heads, Dortmund have won once, while the other time they faced ended in a draw. This will be AC Milan’s chance to record their first win against the Bundesliga giants, and the odds suggest that they have a good chance of doing so.

In their recent form in the Champions League, Milan have been slowly getting their feet under them after a slow start to their campaign.

They started the group stages with back to back draws against Group F rivals, followed by a crushing 3-1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain.  But they quickly bounced back during their rematch in match day 4 when they hosted PSG in San Siro and claimed victory with a 2-1 score line.

Meanwhile, Dortmund have been steamrolling in the Champions League this season. Edin Terzić and his team struggled at first, as PSG drew first blood in Group F, handing Dortmund a 0-1 record to start the season. They tallied a draw with Milan in match day 2, but won back-to-back outings against Newcastle in match days 4 and 5. This hot streak propelled Dortmund to the top of Group F with seven points.

Betting Tip

Even though Dortmund are currently the leaders of Group F, the so-called group of death is still up for grabs. Because of this and Milan’s home-field advantage, they are the slight SBOTOP Champions League 2023 betting odds favourites to win this group stage match.As expected, there is no clear favourite in this match, with AC Milan priced at 2.03, Dortmund at 3.15, and the draw price at 3.45.

 

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