Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund: betting odds 11 Feb 2025

The first leg of the 2024/25 Champions League playoff between Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) and Borussia Dortmund (Germany) will take place on February 11 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Sporting vs. Borussia Dortmund: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Sporting

The team started the group stage confidently, winning 3 out of 4 matches, but a subsequent series of three defeats jeopardized the Portuguese side's prospects. Nevertheless, a draw in the final round secured their place in the playoffs. Notably, Sporting scored in all their matches in the 2024/25 Champions League. The last time they participated in Europe's premier tournament was in the 2022/23 season, where they finished third in their group.

Midfielder Morten Hjulmand will miss the match due to suspension. Midfielders Geny Catamo, Pedro Gonçalves, and forward Nuno Santos are injured.

• Both teams scored in Sporting's last five Champions League games.
• The number "1" appeared in the final scoreline in 6 of Sporting's last 7 Champions League matches.
• In 5 of their last 6 home games in this tournament, the team conceded at least one goal.

Predicted lineup for Sporting (4-4-2)

Rui Silva – Maximiliano Araujo, Ivan Fresneda, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio – Geovani Quenda, João Simões, Matheus Reis, Hidemasa Morita – Viktor Gyökeres, Francisco Trincão.

Borussia Dortmund

The finalists of the previous tournament showed uncompromising results in the group stage. Dortmund secured 5 wins and suffered 3 defeats, two of which were against Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Ultimately, Borussia finished in 10th place, just one point shy of the top 8. Notably, with 22 goals scored, the German club was the most prolific among the teams that reached the playoffs.

Midfielder Felix Nmecha and defender Ramy Bensebaini will miss the match due to injuries.

• At least three goals were scored in 7 of Dortmund's last 9 Champions League matches.
• Borussia opened the scoring in 7 of their last 8 games in this tournament.
• The team defeated the upcoming opponent in 3 of their 4 head-to-head encounters in the Champions League (1 defeat).

Predicted lineup for Borussia Dortmund (4-5-1)

Gregor Kobel – Yan Couto, Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton, Julian Ryerson – Emre Can, Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Brandt, Pascal Gross, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – Serhou Guirassy.

Referee

Espen Eskås (Norway)

Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 35;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;

Red cards shown – 3;

Average fouls per match – 23;

Penalties – 13%.

Sporting vs. Borussia Dortmund: Match Prediction

Both teams displayed solid attacking performances in the group stage, scoring in all their matches. However, their defensive records are less impressive. I am confident that this encounter will be high-scoring.

The Portuguese side has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five Champions League games. During this period, even Bologna and Club Brugge, whose average scoring rate in the group stage was less than one goal per match, managed to score against Sporting. Additionally, the team conceded in 7 of their last 9 home matches in this tournament.

Dortmund last kept a clean sheet in an official match at the end of November. Borussia concluded the Champions League group stage with a three-match streak of conceding goals. It is also worth noting that the Germans have scored against Sporting in all their head-to-head meetings in this tournament, but Borussia failed to keep a clean sheet in both encounters held in Portugal.

My prediction: Both teams to score – yes