A famous rivalry will be renewed on Wednesday when Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium, with both sides chasing the same goal – securing a place in the Top 8 of the League Phase.
The Sky Blues and BVB had identical experiences in the early rounds of the Champions League winning twice and dropping two points in a thrilling goal-packed draw. But the manner of their wins is what separates them.
We are used to dominant performances from Manchester City and to see them as the lowest-scoring team in the top eight is surprising. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have had their fun and are joint-second in goals scored with 12 in three rounds. BVB scored four goals in each match to date.
In terms of overall performance, both sides have dominated their domestic leagues, with occasional upsets. Man City won four of their last five fixtures and Dortmund won the last four in a row and their defeat to Bayern Munich remains their only mistake across 14 fixtures this season.
How the bookies view it: The Citizens will be too strong for BVB
While Niko Kovac’s Dortmund has improved immensely and there clearly are only a few teams that could handle them right now, bookies believe Manchester City will have no problems in dealing a decisive blow.
The Citizens are currently available at just 9/20, the draw is priced at 4/1, and Borussia Dortmund are available at 11/2.
Recent head-to-head: Man City are unbeaten at home
This rivalry began in 2010 when the teams met in an old off-season competition called Summer of Champions. And overall, the teams met a total of nine times since the start, six of which in the Champions League.
As it stands, Manchester City have only lost once to Dortmund in competitive fixtures and it was in 2012. The Citizens are unbeaten at home in CL H2Hs and have also not lost to German opposition in eight consecutive fixtures.
Players to watch: We now know Haaland is a robot
Manchester City truly depend on Erling Haaland to carry them forward, which is both impressive and negative for a team that’s stacked with world-class players. But the fact is Man City have scored 24 goals across their games in the Premier League and the Champions League this season. Erling Haaland scored 17 of those 24 goals.
We have no other option but to back him once again. The Norwegian scored in 10 of his 12 appearances this season and 2+ times in each of Man City’s last four home matches.
Probable line-ups
Man City: Donnarumma, Gvardiol, Dias, Stones, Nunes, Gonzalez, Doku, Silva, Lewis, Savinho, Haaland
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini, Svensson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Couto, Beier, Brandt, Guirassy
Anything else catch the eye?
While the Citizens have not exactly impressed with the scoring aspect of the game, apart from Haaland, we can’t expect anything less than an over in this clash. Borussia Dortmund have proven time and time again that their attack is extremely capable but their defence is not yet at that level.
BVB scored 12 goals across four matches but also conceded seven, which is the most among the Top 18 teams in the League Phase so far. Therefore, we expect both BTTS and Over 2.5, and you can definitely take advantage of the combined markets for better odds too.
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