Atl. Madrid vs Dortmund prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-04-09 19:00.
[p]It’s been a far from straightforward campaign for AtlĂ©tico Madrid who sit fourth in La Liga and remain in a hotly contested battle to return to the UEFA Champions League next season. However, while their form domestically has been patchy of late – with just three wins from their last eight league games (D2, L3) – they’ve been strong in continental action this season, losing just one of their eight Champions League matches so far (W5, D2).  [/p]
[p]They now welcome Borussia Dortmund to town, who stand in their way of a first final four appearance since 2016/17. These two sides also clashed in the group stage of the 2018/19 edition of the competition, with Atlético coming out on top in the meeting on their own turf, contributing to their impressive record of no defeat in 12 European home matches against German opposition (W8, D4). There’s also the added bonus of manager Diego Simeone never losing a UCL home knockout match as Atletico boss (W10, D6), with his side keeping a remarkable 12 clean sheets in that time! [/p]
[p]Dortmund have endured a similarly inconsistent campaign and find themselves loitering in fifth spot in the current Bundesliga table. They had looked to have turned a corner with a run of four straight league wins before falling to defeat at home to Stuttgart (1-0) this past weekend. A win here would certainly go someway to rectifying the disappointment of that loss, whilst also putting them a step closer to making the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2012/13 when they finished runners-up. [/p]
[p]But getting off on the front foot isn’t a guarantee, especially when you take into account Dortmund’s unremarkable recent record on Spanish soil. The German outfit have managed just three wins across their past 18 visits to Spain (D5, L10), while five of their last eight matches there ended in defeat. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Axel Witsel made 145 appearances for Dortmund before joining Atlético in the summer of 2022, so he’ll be out to haunt them here after netting his second goal of the season this past weekend. Meanwhile, Karim Adeyemi has scored before half-time in two of Dortmund’s last three away matches.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: None of Atlético’s last seven competitive home games have been goalless at half-time. [/p]