Dortmund vs Atl. Madrid prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-04-15 19:00.
[p]A place in the semi-finals of this season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) is on the line as Borussia Dortmund look to overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Spanish giants Atlético Madrid in order to progress. That first leg encounter evened the H2H record between these sides (W3, D1, L3), and after bouncing back from the first leg woes with a sixth win in eight competitive games over the weekend, Dortmund will be hopeful they can turn this tie around.[/p]
[p]Whilst the Germans can’t boast the strongest record against Spanish opposition (W11, D12, L14), eight of those 11 victories came on home soil (W8, D7, L3). Perhaps providing a psychological hurdle is the fact that Dortmund have been eliminated in each of their last five UCL quarter final appearances, yet a respectable return of eight progressions across their 18 European ties when losing the away first leg suggests they have a tangible chance.[/p]
[p]A 3-1 win over Girona at the weekend saw Atleti strengthen their claim on a La Liga top-four place and keep up their positive momentum with a third straight win. Long serving boss Diego Simeone has taken Atlético to the UCL semi-finals on three prior occasions but not since 2016/17, and one more such appearance will mean that only Sir Alex Ferguson will have reached more semi-finals with the same club in his career. [/p]
[p]A torrid return of seven defeats in the last ten trips to Germany (W2, D1, L7) may raise a sense of trepidation heading into this one, which includes defeats in each of their last four such games – all under Simeone. Their attack will have to be at its best if they’re to avoid the same fate, as their defence has kept just one clean sheet across the last 16 competitive away games, a sequence which includes three UCL trips (W1, D1, L1). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: After a red card at the weekend, Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi will have a chance to help Dortmund here before his domestic ban, and each of the young striker’s last four goals were team openers. Atleti’s Antoine Griezmann will likely carry his side’s scoring burden in the absence of Depay and Lino. He travels here on the back of a league brace at the weekend and has also scored against Dortmund for both Barcelona and Atlético.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Dortmund are unbeaten in nine straight UCL home games (W5, D4) and have never put together a longer such run. [/p]