Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Sporting CP have enjoyed a relatively good start to their Champions League campaign. They predictably lost at Real Madrid in their group opener, but a last minute 2-1 defeat at the Bernebeu is nothing to be ashamed of. They managed to bounce back with a comfortable 2-0 win over Legia Warsaw as well, although with Dortmund and Real Madrid vying for the top spot it is going to be incredibly difficult for the Portuguese club to qualify from this group.

Their defeat to Real Madrid was followed by a disappointing lost at Rio Ave in the Primeira Liga, but Sporting CP have bounced back admirably from this duo of defeats. They have won three and drawn one of their last four games, scoring ten goals and conceding six at the other end to make for some very entertaining games of football.

They can thank in form attacker Bas Dost for much of this. He has netted three in his last three league matches and has already found the net in the Champions League this season. Borussia Dortmund’s lethal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is where the real danger lies though. The pacey striker has netted six league goals and two more in the Champions League already this season, with youngster Ousmane Dembele providing excellent service for him to reap the rewards of.

With this sort of attacking talent within the team I think we can expect goals from this one. Dortmund have already netted eight in the two Champions League group games so far and Sporting have scored three themselves.

Champions League aside, Sporting have scored in every one of their ten competitive games this season and Dortmund have scored in all but two of their ten outings. When they do score it’s generally more than one as well, with seven of their ten games ending with more than two goals in total. Six of Sporting’s last eight outings have resulted in at least three goals being scored as well.

This is already enough grounds for a solid prediction, but it’s strengthened even further by the fact that Borussia Dortmund are in the midst of a defensive injury crisis. They have no less than six defensive players out at the moment, including the likes of Sokratis and Sven Bender. Considering they have conceded in each of their last five matches I can’t see them keeping an in form Sporting CP attack at bay.

All of this is adding up to make for a mouthwatering game of football, and I think odds of 20/21 for Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score is a cracking price. I think the Dortmund attack will be just too much for Sporting though, so I’m backing a 3-1 win for the visitors at 14/1 as well.