Lille vs Dortmund prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-03-11 17:45.
[p]It is all to play for as Lille host Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of this UEFA Champions League (UCL) last 16 tie. A 1-1 draw in Germany last week has given the Mastiffs a chance of reaching a European quarter-final for only the second time in their history, and a run of just two defeats from their last 16 home matches across all competitions means they should fancy their chances of progressing (W10, D4).[/p]
[p]The most recent of those was a 1-0 success against Montpellier on Saturday, which saw Bruno Génésio’s side keep only their second clean sheet in 13 attempts. Génésio will be hoping another shutout can follow here, as it would buck the trend of Lille’s last seven UCL games all seeing both teams score, with five of them featuring 3+ goals.[/p]
[p]History suggests Borussia Dortmund – who won this competition back in 1997 – are likely to score in any case as only Barcelona netted more often in the league phase. Niko Kovač’s men also make the trip to Lille having won three of their last four away games (L1), scoring at least twice in each victory, although only one of those four games saw them net before half-time.[/p]
[p]Confidence took a dent on Saturday, when the Black and Yellows were on the wrong end of a 1-0 Bundesliga defeat to Augsburg which kept them in the bottom half of the table. Returning to Europe’s top table next season may depend on UCL progression then, but a patchy record of four wins from their previous 13 away matches against French teams suggests they could struggle to replicate last season’s run to the final (D2, L7).[/p]
[p]Key battle: On target in the first leg, Lille will be hoping Hákon Arnar Haraldsson can repeat the act as he has only lost one of the last 17 games in which he has scored (W13, D3). Nico Schlotterbeck will be out to quieten him, and across this season’s UCL, only three players have won more than his 18 tackles.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: The home team on the day has scored first in 12 of Lille’s 13 UCL games this season.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]