Buoyed by their weekend comeback in Der Klassiker, Borussia Dortmund now look to upset Real Betis’ perfect start to this UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase.
Match News and Current Form
Dortmund remained level on points with Bayern at the Bundesliga summit with a 2-2 draw at the weekend, extending their unbeaten run to five games since (W3, D2) their sole UCL defeat of this season against Bodø/Glimt. Niko Kovač will hope to continue that fine run with another win as his side have lost just twice across their last 24 UCL home games (W15, D7), scoring 52 goals therein. One of those defeats did come against Spanish opponents (Barcelona), and Dortmund will be desperate to avoid a repeat as they chase a top-eight finish given that they were beaten in the knockout play-offs last season.
Real Betis continued their strong start on all fronts at the weekend as they maintained their assault on La Liga’s top-four places with victory, meaning they have lost just once in all competitions since the beginning of September (W8, D2). Three of those victories came in the UCL, so Betis could now become the first Spanish side from outside of the big three to win four straight games in the competition proper since city rivals Sevilla in 2009. That would be an ideal way for Manuel Pellegrini to mark his 70th UCL match as a manager (W30, D23, L16), yet he has already felt the sharp end of a defeat to Dortmund as Málaga manager in the 2012/13 quarter-final.
Head-to-Head History
This is the first H2H between these sides. Dortmund have won each of their last four games against Spanish teams, while Betis haven’t won against German opposition this century (D2, L2).
Hot Stats and Streaks
The side scoring first won all three of Dortmund’s UCL league phase games this term.
Dortmund have scored 2+ goals in six of their last seven UCL home matches.
Betis have lost just two of their last 12 European away games (W6, D4).
Six of Betis' seven UCL league phase goals came beyond half-time.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Each of Dortmund’s last four UCL goals were scored by Serhou Guirassy, while five of his last seven strikes for the club came after half-time. Real Betis’ Isco has a goal contribution in each of his last five UCL appearances (G3, A2) - only Raúl has ever put together a longer sequence amongst Spanish players in the competition back in 2002.
Neither side seem to have any fresh injury concerns.
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Betting Analysis
Two sides in red-hot form makes this a tough call, so backing both teams to score and the draw could provide better value than the short-priced home favourites.
Author: Matthew Billon