Sporting Lisbon v Borussia Dortmund Betting Tips

On the face of it there is only one winner in this Champions League tie, however, I feel there could be an upset on the cards here.

Sporting are currently third in both the Portuguese Primeira Liga and their Champions League group. Realistically they will not challenge the top two of Benfica and Porto in their domestic league – particularly after losing striker Islam Slimani to Leicester City in the summer. However, they will feel that they’ve got a good chance of making it out of Group F, despite being in with two major players in Real Madrid and Tuesday’s opponents Borussia Dortmund.

Jorge Jesus’ team were 1-0 up away in Madrid before the hosts produced a spectacular turnaround to come out 2-1 winners at the Bernabeu. Of course you immediately think that they should have held on but these kind of defeats happen away at clubs like Real.

They will host Dortmund on Tuesday and will feel that their incredible home record of eight consecutive league wins – which stretches back to last season – gives them a good chance of causing an upset against the former German champions.

Additionally, they have a good home record in the Champions League where they have recorded victories in their last four matches – stretching all the way back to November 2014.

Dortmund will of course be a different test for the Lisbon side but they have every reason to be confident.

Thomas Tuchel’s Dortmund team have suffered an indifferent start to the season and the side that usually attempt to catch Bayern in the Bundesliga title race are currently fifth after seven matches. As well as Ancelotti’s Bayern side, Dortmund lie behind FC Koln, Hertha Berlin and newly-promoted RB Leipzig – all of whom have been in the top flight for under three years.

It is definitely their away record that has killed the Black Yellows start to the campaign as they have lost two out of their three away fixtures in the league this season.

In terms of their Champions League away form, they tend to do well against smaller sides, such as Legia Warsaw who they recently thrashed 6-0, but tend to struggle against the better teams.

That is not to say that Sporting are one of the top sides in Europe but they can hold their own against the big boys – particularly on their own patch.

Furthermore, when you look at the number of players on the Dortmund treatment table right now it makes disappointing reading if you are looking to see them at their best. Some of their most important players, such as Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle, Sven Bender and Neven Subotic, are currently injured or not fully fit and thus Dortmund struggles is expected to continue in Lisbon.

Overall this leads me to believe that Sporting really can get a positive result on Tuesday. The best way of playing the markets on this one is going with a ‘Sporting Draw No Bet’ at 8/5.

See more Champions League tips here.