Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
On Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund will look to overturn a heavy deficit in the second leg against Barcelona, drawing on the passionate support at Signal Iduna Park. Barcelona come into the match with a substantial advantage following a dominant 4:0 victory in the first leg. While the squad could be without Alejandro Balde on the left side of defence, they are still expected to create chances through their attacking approach.
Borussia Dortmund
Saturday’s 2:2 draw in Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich marked the fourth straight game since the international break in which a Total Over 3.0 Goals bet would have been successful for Borussia Dortmund. Despite having just 38% possession in Munich, the team managed 1.50 xG from three shots on target – a clear indication that they do not need to dominate the ball to generate chances. In the first leg in Catalonia, Borussia Dortmund created a number of promising opportunities before the break, finishing with 1.45 xG over the 90 minutes. However, their lack of cutting edge in front of goal proved decisive. Backed by their home crowd, the team will hope for a more clinical outing.
Barcelona
Following a comprehensive first-leg win, Barcelona’s key attacking players have further cemented their spots among the Champions League’s top contributors. They have registered 23 and 7 goal involvements respectively in the competition so far, and both remain in contention for the Ballon d'Or. At the weekend, Barcelona secured a narrow 1:0 victory over Leganés, maintaining a four-point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga and giving them the freedom to fully concentrate on their European ambitions.
Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona Prediction
The December clash between Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona in Germany also produced plenty of goals, finishing 3:2. Given Borussia Dortmund’s need to attack and Barcelona’s proven threat on the break, the Total Over market is again worth considering.
