Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund Predictions

Little could rival the last match between these two for the headlines in October. A clash between two supposedly evenly matched sides turned out to be anything but, as Borussia Dortmund were 4-0 winners in a terrible night for Atletico Madrid. The Spanish side had never conceded that many inside 90 minutes under Diego Simeone, but the hosts are in fine scoring form this term. Lucien Favre is doing stellar work since taking charge at Dortmund this summer, and his side could book a spot in the last 16 with a win this week.

It’s been a mixed season for Atletico Madrid so far, and they dropped more points at the weekend. A 1-1 draw at Leganes has left them four points shy of Barcelona. They are set to improve on last season’s Champions League performance, as they’re five points clear in second in group A. However, they’re only clear by default, after awful performances from Club Brugge and Monaco so far. That 4-0 defeat in Germany has left Atleti three points behind leaders Dortmund, so this is a must win clash for Simeone’s side.

Dortmund continue to lead the way in the Bundesliga, and their 1-0 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday has put them four points clear at the top. Running away with this group has made their season even better, and their high scoring form peaked in the thumping win last month. With nine points to their name, a point in Spain puts Dortmund into the last 16. However, a victory would see them win the group with two games to spare. Can they claim another win over Atleti?

Things should be slightly more even in this clash, although that doesn’t mean Atletico Madrid’s defence is set to improve. The hosts haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their five games against Borussia Dortmund in European competition, with half of their total goals conceded against them (8) coming in the last meeting (4-0 at Signal Iduna Park). While they’ve scored in every home Champions League game at their new ground, they’ve also conceded in three of the four.

We can’t see Dortmund being shut-out here, with 38 goals in 13 games in the Bundesliga and Champions League. The visitors have been defensively solid in Europe, with three wins to nil. However, the visitors have a single clean sheet in their last eight away trips. We see them conceding in this trip, so we see both teams to score as the value on this one. On top of that, we’re backing a more even four goal thriller, with a 2-2 draw as our correct score pick.