Borussia Dortmund begin their campaign in Group G of the UEFA Champions League with a home fixture against FC Copenhagen.
Dortmund have begun their campaign on a positive note as they currently sit above Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, although still not top of the standings. They have suffered just one defeat across all competitions this season and head into Tuesday’s Champions League opener with four wins from their last five matches.
Manger Edin Terzic has had to overcome a few challenges to put Dortmund where they are at the moment. First, Sebastien Haller is yet to kick a ball having been diagnosed with testicular cancer while a lengthy injury list includes the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen and Mahmoud Dahoud.
Dortmund warmed up for the visit of Copenhagen with a 1-0 victory over Hoffenheim last Friday thanks to Marco Reus’ early effort. One thing that has surprisingly stood out for the German side this season is their defence which has kept clean sheets in the last two matches.
FC Copenhagen are in the Champions League after ending a three-year title drought in the Danish Superliga. That success was only good enough for the playoffs where they overcame Turkish side Trabzonspor 2-1 on aggregate to book their place in the group stage.
Beyond the playoff win over Trabzonspor, it has been a difficult start to the season for Copenhagen, who are currently sixth in the Superliga. However, they warmed up for the trip to Dortmund with a 1-0 victory over Silkeborg last Friday with Viktor Claesson’s first half effort proving the difference.
Copenhagen do not have the best record in the Champions League as they return to the group stage of the competition for the first time since 2016-17. Jess Thorup’s men have only ever made the knockout stage once, losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the 2010-11 round of 16.
How the bodies view it
The bookies have installed Borussia Dortmund as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 7/20 with Unibet. An unlikely victory for Copenhagen is valued at 17/2 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 with bet365.
Head to head
Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen met twice in the Europa League in 2001 with the Germans claiming 1-0 victories in both fixtures.
Players to watch
Marco Reus has been in top form this season, ensuring that Dortmund are not affected by their numerous personnel problems. The veteran forward was on target last time out against Hoffenheim and is priced at 8/5 with bet365 to find the net on Tuesday.
Dortmund’s defence has also stood up to be counted this season with centre-backs Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck impressing. They have kept clean sheets in their last two matches and could be set for a repeat at 7/5 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Borussia Dortmund are expected to be comfortable on Tuesday and could be tipped in the -2-handicap market at 20/23 with BoyleSports. Having won to nil in their last two matches, a similar outcome could also be considered at 13/8 with BoyleSports.
Dortmund’s recent defensive record means BTTS NO could also be on the cards at 13/10 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen will be played on Sep 6, 2022 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Borussia Dortmund vs FC Copenhagen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
