Real Betis will look to make it four wins in a row in the Champions League when they hit the road to face Borussia Dortmund.
Having dropped points on matchday 2, Borussia Dortmund will be eager to secure all three points at home against Real Betis and strengthen their case for a top eight finish. But given the kind of form Betis have been in, stopping them won’t be that easy a task.
The home team are 13th in the UCL table with six points after three games. While they started the campaign with a 3-2 win over Villarreal, they suffered a shocking defeat to Bodo/Glimt before getting things back on track against Sabah last time out.
Dortmund are heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw against rivals Bayern Munich. A late equaliser from Fabio Silva rescued a point for the Black and Yellows, keeping them second in the Bundesliga table. Having shown plenty of resilience against the league leaders, Niko Kovac’s men will be confident of securing all three points on home soil.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 5th in the UCL with nine points in their three outings. So far, they have taken down LOSC Lille, FC Porto and Feyenoord in the European competition and will look to extend that run against Dortmund.
Betis are fourth in La Liga and are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Malaga. They have been in some fine form and will be optimistic about getting a result here. While it won’t be easy, they do have the quality in their squad to trouble Dortmund. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
The home team will be without the services of Kaua Prates (muscle), Justin Lerma (muscle), Giannis Konstantelias (knee), and Emre Can (knee).
Dortmund are likely to line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Gregor Kobel starting in goal. Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck should form the back three, providing defensive cover while allowing the wing-backs to push forward.
Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson are expected to operate as wing-backs, with Joey Veerman and Felix Nmecha forming the central midfield partnership. The duo will look to control possession and supply the attacking players in advanced positions.
Jobe Bellingham should operate behind the front two, linking the midfield with the attack and creating opportunities for Fabio Silva and Serhou Guirassy. The strike partnership will look to exploit spaces in the opposition defence and provide Dortmund with a consistent goal threat.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Veerman, Nmecha, Svensson; Bellingham; F Silva, Guirassy
Real Betis
While Real Betis haven’t reported any fresh injury concerns, they do remain without the services of Cucho Hernandez (calf) and Junior Firpo (muscular).
Real Betis are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alvaro Valles starting in goal. Hector Bellerin and Fran Garcia should occupy the full-back positions, while Marc Bartra is expected to partner Natan in central defence.
Pablo Fornals and Marc Roca are likely to form the midfield double pivot, providing defensive protection while helping Betis initiate attacks. Antony and Abde Ezzalzouli should operate on the flanks, with Isco taking up the attacking midfield role behind the striker.
Troy Parrott is expected to lead the line, and the Irish forward will look to make the most of the chances that come his way.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, F Garcia; Fornals, Roca; Antony, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Parrott
Key Stats
- Real Betis have won all three of their Champions League games this season.
- Dortmund are unbeaten in their last six home games.
- The Spanish club have won 10 out of their last 14 matches since late August.
- Betis have failed to score just once in their last 14 games.
- The two teams have only met once so far, in a friendly back in 2015 that Dortmund won 2-0.
Player to Watch
Antony
The 26-year-old right-winger will look to bring his A game to the table and help his side get something out of this fixture. Antony certainly has the quality to have a big say in the end result of this fixture.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Real Betis
Niko Kovac’s Borussia Dortmund have been difficult to beat on their own turf, and their attacking quality should give them plenty of opportunities to trouble Real Betis. However, the visitors arrive in excellent form, having won all three of their Champions League games this season. Their confidence and attacking threat could make this a far more challenging encounter than Dortmund would have hoped.
Real Betis have shown remarkable consistency in recent weeks and have enough quality to hurt Dortmund, particularly through the likes of Antony, Isco and Abde Ezzalzouli. The hosts should enjoy spells of dominance, but Betis’ ability to exploit spaces on the counter-attack could prove equally important.
Both sides have the attacking firepower to find the net, and a closely contested draw looks likely. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw in this fixture.