Borussia Dortmund vs Sevilla
A place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is at stake for two of the bridesmaids of European football.
That may seem unfair because neither of these two clubs could be classed as underachievers.
Last summer, Sevilla (who are always faced domestically with the giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid) clinched the Europa League/UEFA Cup for a record sixth time and all of those successes have come since 2006.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund (who have spent a decade selling their best players to arch German rivals Bayern Munich) have reached two Champions League finals (winning in 1997 and runners-up in 2013).
Their limited resources in comparison to these clubs, however, means they will always have a disadvantage, so a place in the last eight of the top tier of European football is an opportunity to grab with both arms.
Talking Points
As if to prove the point, both clubs go into this second leg reeling.
Dortmund dared to score twice early on at Bayern in the Bundesliga on Saturday but the outcome seemed inevitable – although it’s easy to say that now.
Elsewhere, Sevilla were one step away from the Copa del Rey final only to be pegged back and despatched by Barcelona last week before losing to lowly Elche in La Liga at the weekend.
Both clubs then could do with progressing to bring a much-needed spark.
Of course, one team has one of the most exciting young talents on planet football in their ranks and that potentially gives them the edge.
No-one reading this will need reminding of the gifts of young Norwegian Erling Braut Haaland, especially after his timely intervention on the biggest stage in the first leg.
Indeed, after creating more personal Champions League highlights of his own, Dortmund already have three away goals and, arguably, one foot in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
The Norwegian sensation has now scored 10 Champions League goals in seven appearances for Dortmund, the quickest a player has ever reached 10 goals for a team in the competition, breaking Roy Makaay’s record with Bayern Munich (10 games, 2003-04).
Haaland is in wider esteemed company too.
In that first leg, he became the fifth player to score multiple goals in three successive Champions League appearances joining Giovane Elber (Bayern Munich 2001), Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus and Milan in 2002), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid in 2013 and twice in 2017) and Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich in 2018).
In addition, his 18 goals in this tournament means he is behind only Kylian Mbappe (19 goals) as the highest scorer in the tournament before his 21st birthday.
But for Luuk de Jong’s late effort, few would give Sevilla a sniff in the second leg but that goal, coupled with the form guide, provides them with hope.
Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui instructs his players during their Copa del Rey semi-final match against Barcelona
The Spanish side certainly have form for retrieving a home loss and Julen Lopetegui’s side, who won the Europa League in thrilling fashion last season, will certainly know an early goal in their favour could turn the tie on its head.
The experienced coach can also point to the fact that, despite victories in five of their last six home matches, Dortmund have won only eight of their last 17 European games in their own stadium.
So Haaland and Co have the edge but this one is not a foregone conclusion. Too much is at stake for that!
History
Sevilla and Dortmund’s only fixtures before this tie came in the 2010/11 Europa League group stage.
The Spanish side won 1-0 in Germany thanks to a first-half Luca Cigarini goal, before a 2-2 draw in Spain with Romaric and Frédéric Kanouté on target for the home side after Shinji Kagawa’s fourth-minute opener for Dortmund.
Neven Subotić made it 2-2 four minutes after half-time but Dortmund were unable to find a winning goal.
That left Sevilla in second place in Group J behind Paris Saint-Germain on 10 points, one ahead of eliminated Dortmund.
Betting Tip
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Borussia Dortmund vs Sevilla | 1X2 Draw @ 3.50 |
| March 10, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
The SBOTOP Champions League betting odds favour Dortmund and perhaps that should be expected as the Andalusian club have won only one of their four away games in the Champions League last 16.
Dortmund are available to tip 1X2 @ 2.20 and Asian Handicap – 0.50 (also @ 2.20), while Sevilla can be backed 1X2 @ 3.05 or Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 2.02.
Another goal fest – correct score 3-2 – would you earn a pay out of @ 19.00.
I do not anticipate this being a cautious affair as Sevilla need goals and Dortmund are at their best when they attack.
I am going for Dortmund to progress but my three-star prediction is 1X2 Draw @ 3.50.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Champions League: Pick-Me-Up Required In Dortmund appeared first on SBOTOP.
