Wednesday 13th September 2017 Kickoff:1945hrs Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund Football – Europe – Champions League The Champions League returned on Tuesday and the usual suspects begun to lay down a marker at Europe’s top table. Two sides who aspire to be at that level meet at Wembley on Wednesday as Tottenham host Borussia Dortmund. Neither side would have been happy with the impact they made in last season’s competition, and will be hoping to improve on those efforts. With holders Real Madrid favourites for this group, it makes both games between Spurs and Dortmund crucial to see who else progresses.
It was a disastrous European campaign for Tottenham last season as they finished third in their Champions League group before an immediate exit in the Europa League competition which they dropped down to as a result. Much was made of the switch to Wembley for those games but with Spurs now committed to using England’s national stadium for all their games this term, they have to make that adjustment quickly. To date they have played two league games and taken just a point from those encounters. Mauricio Pochettino would have been happier with their preparation coming into this one, though, as they dismantled a good Everton team at Goodison Park. Wednesday will represent another step up in standard but it will have at least given them more confidence being just their second win of the season.
Dortmund reached the final of this competition in 2013 but despite a number of decent efforts since, they have found it difficult to reach a similar level on a consistent basis. As is usually the case these days the summer witnessed significant changes for the club. Most notable of those was Thomas Tuchel leaving his post following a dispute with the board and being replaced by Peter Bosz who led Ajax to the final of the Europa League last year. Andria Yarmolenko, Mahmoud Dahoud and Omer Toprak are all significant additions to the playing squad whilst being able to keep hold of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was another positive. It has been a good start to their domestic campaign as they lead the very early stages with two wins and a draw from their three Bundesliga games. Perhaps surprisingly they have yet to concede a goal this season which is a marked improvement on previous campaigns, and represents a change in approach under the more pragmatic Bosz.
Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund Betting Tip
With Real Madrid expected to progress it is likely that Spurs and Dortmund will be playing for second place as APOEL are unlikely to be good enough to challenge for progression. It makes this first match all that more important – particularly for the home team – as the winner would have a distinct advantage going into the next five rounds of games. Spurs were defeated at Wembley by German opposition last season as Bayer Leverkusen scored the only goal of the game. Dortmund are a considerably better outfit and are favourites in this game. That said, I would be very surprised if Pochettino’s men are not better equipped to make more of an impact this season.
I alluded to what appears to be a more pragmatic approach for Dortmund this term which makes me slightly wary of selecting a goals-based bet in this encounter. Traditionally they are a team you can rely on for goals – both scoring and conceding – but on the evidence we have seen thus far I am reluctant to advise an over 2.5 goals selection which would stand out in terms of past trends in their Champions League games. Tottenham are a possession based team themselves and it could lead to a stalemate with styles very similar. Spurs can also not afford to lose this one and that leads me to backing the draw, which would probably be a decent result for the visitors.
Draw 27/10 @ Unibet
