Sporting Lisbon vs Borussia Dortmund
UEFA Champions League, KO: 20:00 Feb 11, 2025, Jose Alvalade Stadium
New Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovac faces a daunting task in just his second game in charge as he takes his side to Lisbon for a clash with Sporting CP in the first leg of their Champions League play-off.
It took the German giants time to warm up after the winter break as they lost their first four fixtures in 2025, a horror run that saw boss Nuri Sahin relieved of his duties.
Caretaker boss Mike Tullberg steadied the ship with a draw and two wins in his three matches at the helm, including a 3-1 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk that brought up two bets for our man Vlad.
But Kovac's dugout debut at the Westfalen didn't go well as his side lost 2-1 to Stuttgart on Saturday and he now faces a Sporting side who have lost just one of their last 12 games in all competitions.
That defeat came in the Champions League against German opposition, with RB Leipzig winning 2-1 to frustrate our man Vlad after he had tipped Sporting to win.
The Portuguese champions have also undergone a change of manager this season, with Ruben Amorim leaving to take the Manchester United job.
Joao Pereira took over on a short-term basis before handing the reins to Rui Borges and he has yet to taste in his four games at the helm.
How the bookies view it: Sporting are home free
Sporting CP have lost just twice at home this season and BoyleSports make them 23/20 favourites for another win here. Borussia Dortmund are 2/1 outsiders and the draw pays 13/5.
Head to head: Borussia bossing it
These sides have faced off just four times before – with all those games coming in the last nine years. Dortmund won the first three meetings but Sporting came out on top 3-1 in Libson when they last faced off in the Champions League four years ago.
Players to watch: To Viktor the spoils
Few strikers in Europe have been more deadly than Viktor Gyokeres this season. The Swede sits on 31 for the season and will be fresh for this one after making his comeback from injury off the bench in Friday's draw with Porto. He's 5/4 at Bet365 for anytime scorer which looks good when he's averaging more than a goal a game this term.
Serhou Guirassy has also been in tremendous form this season for Bayern and sits on 18 goals for the season. He has five goals in his last five outings and is 15/8 to keep that hot streak going.
Probable line-ups
Sporting CP are still without midfielder Pedro Goncalves and striker Nuno Santos while Geny Catamo is also a doubt due to injury. Midfielder Morten Hjulmand is suspended after collecting three yellows in the league phase.
Dortmund have Nico Schlotterbeck back after a domestic ban but midfielder Felix Nemcha is sidelined again due to injury.
Sporting CP: Israel, Reis, St Juste, Diomande, Quaresma, Morita, Trincao, Catamo, Quenda, Braganca, Gyokeres.
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Can, Ryerson, Brandt, Gross, Sabitzer, Adeyemi, Gittens, Guirassy.
Anything else catch the eye?
First legs can often be cagey but I've a feeling this game will be open as Sporting will want to take a decent lead into the return as the Westfalen is one of the most intimidating venues in Europe.
Backing both teams to score pays just 4/7 with BoyleSports but you can boost the odds to 20/21 by adding on over 2.5 goals. For slightly better odds, combining BTTS and no draw pays 13/10 with the same firm.
With Dortmund conceding twice at home on Saturday, there could be some value in backing over 1.5 Sporting goals, which pays 10/11.
These teams are pretty evenly matched so the half-time draw also looks decent at 6/5 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund will be played on Feb 11, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sporting Lisbon vs Borussia Dortmund prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
