The first round of the newly formatted Champions League saw Borussia Dortmund and Celtic handle relatively weaker opponents with confidence. On Tuesday, the German side will face the Scottish side for the first time in 32 years, with bookmakers favouring Dortmund, a sentiment that warrants caution.
Borussia Dortmund
In their 3:0 win against Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund's defensive issues were evident. The coaching staff managed to make the most of their substitutes (with Jamie Gittens and Serhou Guirassy coming off the bench to score all the goals), but the Belgians still created 1.56 xG with 18 shots. In the last two Bundesliga matches, Borussia Dortmund have scored six times but conceded seven goals—an xGA of 3.26 against Stuttgart (1:5) suggests their defence isn't solid.
Celtic
On Saturday, Celtic demolished St. Johnstone (6:0), marking their ninth consecutive victory since the start of the campaign. This winning streak is partly due to an easy fixture list, with only Rangers (3:0) and Slovan Bratislava (5:1) being notable opponents recently. Against the Slovak side, Celtic were highly motivated (3.56 xG against 0.56 xG), but Brendan Rodgers' system has yet to be tested against the elite—past seasons have shown it tends to falter against top-tier competition.
Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic Prediction
While Celtic's form is remarkable, Borussia Dortmund's squad quality should see them at least avoid defeat. We recommend looking at "Both Teams to Score—Yes" as there will likely be plenty of open space for attacks in Dortmund, promising at least three goals.
