Borussia Dortmund welcome Villarreal in a repeat match, having hosted the Yellow Submarine in the same competition less than a year ago. On that occasion, they secured one of their biggest wins of the season. Can they do it again?
Borussia Dortmund’s season began with a defeat to Bayern Munich, but in league matches they have recorded three consecutive wins, having staged a remarkable comeback against Hoffenheim from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at the weekend.
Expectations for this match are high, mainly because BVB have suffered just two defeats in their last 23 home matches in the competition. But Dortmund are also among the highest-scoring teams in recent years. In their last two Champions League group stages, they have averaged 4.38 goals per match.
Villarreal are digging themselves deeper and deeper into a rut, having failed to win any of their first four La Liga matches this season. This hasn’t happened to them in over 15 years and is certainly not a good sign ahead of their trip to Dortmund – a team that thrashed them a year ago.
The main problems lie in defence, with the Yellow Submarine having conceded eight goals in their first four matches.
How the bookies view it: Another famous night at Signal Iduna Park
Bookmakers are expecting a repeat of last year’s match, with the home side considered clear favourites. At the moment, you can back Borussia Dortmund at 3/4, whilst Villarreal are available at 16/5. A draw remains a possibility and is priced at 3/1.
Recent head-to-head: BVB thrashed the Yellow Submarine
As we have mentioned on several occasions, these two teams faced each other in the previous edition of the tournament, in a match that was also their first official encounter. On that occasion, Borussia Dortmund were flawless and won 4–0.
There have been several friendly matches between them in the past, with Villarreal recording a 2–0 victory in 2022 and a 2–2 draw in 2024.
Players to watch: Guirassy scored a brace in the same fixture last year
Few players have scored more goals in the Champions League than Serhou Guirassy since he joined Borussia Dortmund two seasons ago, in fact, only two. Last season wasn’t his best, but he has scored a total of 17 goals in the competition over the last two seasons.
It seems his form has improved over the summer, as he has made an explosive start to the season, scoring in both of his Bundesliga appearances so far. It’s also worth mentioning that he scored a brace against Villarreal in the same match a year ago.
Probable line-ups
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Gadou, Anton, Svensson, Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Beier, Karetsas, Inacio, Guirassy
Villarreal: Junior, Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Romero, Pepe, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro, Perez, Mikautadze
Anything else catch the eye?
Villarreal have enough firepower to score against any opponent, but their defence is in far too poor form at the start of the season. It’s very hard not to expect a repeat of last year’s result, given that the visitors are weaker than they were then.
Borussia Dortmund have always dominated at Signal Iduna Park and, following their strong start to the season, will certainly be looking for a strong start in the Champions League too. In my opinion, they will win the match by a margin of at least two goals.
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