Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund: UEFA Champions League Preview and Team News
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund travel to Portugal to take on Sporting CP in a game that could make or break their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
The UEFA Champions League is back this week and Borussia Dortmund face a crunch group stage clash against Sporting CP. The situation is simple for the Black and Yellows. A win would see them qualify for the round of 16, but a loss would likely see them get relegated to the Europe League, and a draw would take the qualification battle to the final matchday of the group stage.
With so much riding on the game, we could be in for an intriguing match-up at the José Alvalade Stadium on Wednesday.
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Sporting CP
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Sporting CP go into Wednesday’s game in excellent form. The Portuguese champions have won all nine of their games since losing to Borussia Dortmund in the reverse fixture in September. Their impressive run has included two dominant wins over Besiktas. And if they play like they did against the Turkish giants, they could certainly cause a lot of problems to Borussia Dortmund.
Rúben Amorim’s side claimed a 2-1 win over second division side Varzim SC in the Taça de Portugal on Thursday courtesy of a brace from top scorer Pedro Gonçalves.
Borussia Dortmund
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Borussia Dortmund managed to give themselves a nice confidence boost going into their game against Sporting CP. Marco Rose’s side earned a hard fought 2-1 win over Stuttgart on Saturday, thanks to a late Marco Reus winner. The win will have done a lot to lift the mood at the Signal Iduna Park, especially after back to back defeats to Ajax and RB Leipzig.
Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League round of 16 still rest in their own hands. And they will be determined to get the job done on Wednesday.