Dortmund vs Barcelona Prediction: 11/12/2024

Dortmund has made an impressive start in the new Champions League format, securing four victories and one defeat in their first five matches. Their sole loss came in a 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid, their opponents in last year’s final. This strong performance places them in 4th position in the standings, just three points behind the leaders, Liverpool.

With three matches remaining in the group phase, Borussia Dortmund is well-positioned for a direct qualification to the round of 16. Recently, they won 3-0 against Dinamo Zagreb and drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga before heading to Mönchengladbach. Despite their success in Europe, Dortmund is still adjusting in the Bundesliga, where they are currently 5th as the first half of the season comes to a close.

Barcelona has also had a solid European campaign with four wins and one loss. After a narrow 2-1 loss to Monaco in their opening match, they have been dominant, defeating Young Boys Bern 5-0, Bayern Munich 4-1, Red Star Belgrade 5-2, and Brest 3-0.

These strong performances make them the highest-scoring team in the competition with 18 goals in five matches, averaging over three goals per game. Barcelona is currently in 3rd place in the group and leads La Liga, but they have recently faced a dip in form, losing 2-1 to Las Palmas and drawing against Mallorca and Betis Sevilla before heading to Dortmund.

Dortmund hopes to have forward Adeyemi back, who has scored three goals in the Champions League but has been out for two months due to a muscle injury. Defender Süle returned after their win in Zagreb, and midfielder Brandt, who has contributed two goals and five assists, is expected to return for the match against Barcelona. However, they will be missing defender Anton. Gittens and Guirassy, both of whom have four goals in the competition, are Dortmund’s top scorers.

Barcelona faces several injury concerns, including the absence of central defender Christensen, midfielder Bernal, and starting goalkeeper ter Stegen, who has been replaced by Peña. First-choice left-back Baldé and forward Fati are also likely to miss the match. On a positive note, central defender Araujo is expected to return after resuming team training. Barcelona’s star striker Lewandowski, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Champions League, recently reached his 100th Champions League goal against Brest.

Prediction

Dortmund has struggled at home recently, winning just two of their last 14 league matches and losing four of their last six home games. In contrast, Barcelona has been strong in the Champions League, winning eight of their last 13 fixtures and bolstering their squad with significant summer signings.

Prediction: Dortmund 1 : 3 Barcelona