Borussia Dortmund will face Sporting CP in a crucial Group C fixture on matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League.
Venue: Estadio Jose Alvalade
Key Statistics
- Dortmund and Sporting CP are currently second and third in Group C, sharing the same points (6).
- Die Borussen are second in the Bundesliga table (27 points), trailing Bayern Munich by a point.
- Sporting are second in the Portuguese top-flight, sharing the same points (29) as leaders FC Porto.
- The German giants edged out Sporting 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Signal Iduna Park.
Head to Head record
Dortmund have beaten Sporting CP in all the three head-to-head encounters, including the most recent victory in the reverse fixture.
Recent form in all competition
Sporting – W W W W W
Dortmund – W W L L W
Sporting CP
Sporting CP have won all of their five games across all competitions and will look to get the better of Dortmund on Wednesday.
The Portuguese giants failed against Dortmund in the reverse fixture and now they look to avenge their defeat.
It will be a crucial encounter as both Dortmund and Sporting share the same points (6) after four games. A win will take one of the sides closer to the round of 16.
Sporting are coming on the back of a 2-1 win over Varzim in Taca de Portugal and they also thrashed Besiktas 4-0 on the matchday 4.
Pedro Goncalves has continued his stellar form from last season, as he has racked up four league goals and also scored a double against Besiktas.
Injured players: Jovane Cabral
Doubtful players: Ruben Vinagre, Tiago Tomas, Sebastian Coates
Suspended: None.
Possible line-up ( Sporting CP): Antonio Adan, Goncalo Inacio, Zouhair Feddal, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, Joao Palhinha, Daniel Braganca, Nuno Santos, Pedro Goncalves, Bruno Tabata, Pablo Sarabia
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund will look to return to winning ways in the Champions League after falling to a 3-1 defeat against Ajax in the Champions League.
However, they have enough momentum heading into Wednesday’s game after their 2-1 win over Stuttgart in Bundesliga.
Erling Haaland will miss the game due to injury, while Marco Rose will not be able to summon USMNT teenager Gio Reyna.
Dortmund knows the importance of the game as a win would almost ensure their place in the round of 16.
Nonetheless, Dortmund will be facing an impressive Sporting CP side, who remain unbeaten in their last five games.
Possible Borussia Dortmund line-up
Gregor Kobel, Thomas Meunier, Manuel Akanji, Marin Pongracic, Raphael Guerreiro, Mahmoud Dahoud, Jude Bellingham, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, Thorgan Hazard, Donyell Malen
Injured players: Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna, Marcel Schmelzer, Mateu Morey
Doubtful players: Marius Wolf, Nico Schulz
Suspended players: Mats Hummels
Prediction
Sporting CP 2 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
