Borussia Dortmund v Juventus Betting Tip 1 – Wednesday 18 March

Champions League Tips

Borussia Dortmund played very well in the first leg of their last 16 match against Juventus in Turin. Although they ended up losing the game, the Germans can console themselves with the fact they have scored an away goal which gives them a good chance of progressing to the quarter finals. Their home form in the Champions League has been very good – unsurprisingly for a side who have reached the latter stages of the competition for the last three seasons. They have won 10 of their last 14 at the Westfalenstadion, losing only to Zenit and Arsenal since 2012. Their record at home this season is seven points from three games, scoring seven.

Considering qualification went down all the way to wire before prevailing over Olympiakos by a point in Group A, if you offered Massimiliano Allegri a lead going into a second leg then he would have most definitely have taken it. The former Milan manager is attempting to take Juve to the quarter final stage of the Champions League for only the second time in nine seasons. It is likely they will have to play better than they did in the first leg in order to achieve that but they are certainly capable of it and once they got their lead back, they were able to close the game down and frustrate their opponents – which is bound to be the approach they take on Wednesday.

There are signs that Dortmund are getting back to something like their best. Jurgen Klopp has never panicked despite the club sitting at the bottom of the table only a few weeks ago but his belief in his players has paid off once again. They are now comfortably in mid-table having won four and drawn two of their last six Bundesliga games – their best run of form this season. Klopp will also be buoyed by the fact they have kept four clean sheets in that spell, too.

One man who will be missing from the Juventus starting line-up is Andrea Pirlo. The talismanic midfielder will be missing through injury and you wonder how much he’ll be missed. There’s no doubt that they have the required quality in spite of his absence but his experience is unrivalled having won a Champions League and a World Cup. His ability to control the pace of the game and take the diffuse some of the threat of the opposition would be a huge benefit in a game that will be played at a ferocious pace.

These two clubs played out a fantastic first leg and both will be content with how things have went thus far. Dortmund come into the second leg with an away goal whilst Juve will travel to Germany defending a lead. The Italians away record leaves a lot to be desired in the Champions League, managing only one win in their last seven matches on the road. Taking it back even further they have won just seven of their last 27 away fixtures. Dortmund have been much better in recent weeks and they look good consistently, which hasn’t always been the case. They were unfortunate in the first leg but I can see them doing enough to win in the 90 minutes on Wednesday.

Borussia Dortmund 5/4 Paddypower