Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica
UEFA Champions League – Round of 16, Second Leg
Date: Wednesday, 8th March 2017
Kick-Off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Team News
Per WhoScored.com, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus remain sidelined, alongside long-term absentees Sven Bender, Nuri Sahin and Sebastian Rode, thus greatly diminishing the team's depth and overall quality.
Gotze's setback in particular came as a huge shock. As shared by Squawka News, his problem is far more rare:
Benfica have been without Alex Grimaldo for some time now, while Nelson Semedo missed the league match against Feirense but will return on Wednesday, per WhoScored.com.
Possible Dortmund XI: Roman Burki, Marc Bartra, Sokratis, Matthias Ginter, Raphael Guerreiro, Julian Weigl, Gonzalo Castro, Lukasz Piszczek, Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Possible Benfica XI: Ederson Moraes, Nelson Semedo, Luisao, Victor Lindelof, Eliseu, Andreas Samaris, Pizzi, Andrija Zivkovic, Andre Carrillo, Rafa, Kostas Mitroglou
Preview
Reus' injury in the win over Leverkusen was the latest setback in a long line for Dortmund, who are expected to go into Wednesday's match with an attack spearheaded by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and several youngsters.
Per Boris Rupert of the club's official website, manager Thomas Tuchel admitted Reus' loss was a huge one: "It's a real blow, as over the last few weeks and in particular in the opening stages today [Sunday], which I felt were somewhat sluggish, Marco was the one who consistently got us going, who took the responsibility, who was alert."
The likes of Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembele have impressed in the Bundesliga this season, but asking them to play a key role in a major Champions League match is a whole other matter.
Dortmund haven't been overly reliant on their biggest stars this season, a point that was made clear against Leverkusen, per ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko:
But in the Champions League, elite veteran talent often makes the difference, and Benfica have those types of players. Kostas Mitroglou has been in excellent form, and he'll be one player to keep an eye on.
Benfica are on an impressive win streak that started early in February, and momentum lies with the visitors. They haven't been tested much in that span, apart from the encounter with the Germans at the Estadio da Luz.
Their numbers this season have been impressive, but almost all of their losses have come away from home. The Signal Iduna Park is one of the loudest stadiums on the continent and gives Dortmund a huge boost whenever they play―Benfica's struggles away from home could be exposed if Tuchel's troops play their cards right.
Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica: Head to Head Statistics
This will be the 4th encounter between the two sides, however none of their previous meetings have ended in draw.
The previous meeting between them at BVB Stadion was a 5-0 win in favour of Dortmund in 1963.
Dortmund have a clean record against Portuguese teams at home, they have won all 5 of their games against Portuguese teams at home.
Benfica have lost 14 tines on German soil on their previous games, they have won just twice and drawn 6 games.
Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica: Prediction
Dortmund have an edge over their Portuguese counterpart in this game, having lost just once at home in UEFA competitions since last season. They have a good record at home against Portuguese opponents and we are expecting them to come out victorious.
Benfica have been bad against German teams on German soil, we expect that to have an effect on them in this game.
We side the Germans in this win hoping they win and progress to round of 8.
Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica: Bet Tips
Dortmund to win at 1.34
Dortmund to Qualify at 1.71
