Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid Pick to Win
Date: Tuesday, September 26th, 2017
Where: UEFA Champions League Madrid, Spain
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Borussia Dortmund 5/2, Real Madrid 1/1, Draw (NOT AVAILABLE)
Moneyline: Borussia Dortmund +250, Real Madrid +100 (Evens), Draw (NOT AVAILABLE)
Over/Under: OVER 3.5 6/5 (+120)
The UEFA Champions League group stage will feature two of Europes best as rivals Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on the grandest stage in Europe. Its Spain versus Germany in Madrid. As a whole, these two clubs have been regarded as the cream of the crop. However, Madrid has dominated the Champions League as a whole as they have now won two straight Champions League titles. Real will curate the hosting duties in this match-up which is great news for them and terrible news for Dortmund who struggle mightily on the road. Last year, Real Madrid defeated Dortmunds arch rival Bayern Munich in the closing stages of the Champions League Final Tournament in route to a successful title defense and eventual championship win.
Almost all of the public is leaning on Real Madrid. Typically, we would play this one from a contrarian angle and lay the popular choice. However, Real Madrid is a blue chip and established as one of the premier pedigree clubs. At home, Real Madrid is a very tough team to beat and the price here is fantastic given that fact. The outfit features some of the most recognized names in soccer, including Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Dortmunds key players are German forwards Marco Reus and World Cup hero Mario Gotze. In addition, Dortmund features Andre Schurrle who did a brief stint with Chelsea in the Premiership. As a whole, Real Madrid is a force to reckon with on both a global and domestic level. This is a team that has ousted the likes of Barcelona who feature arguably the greatest player in the world in Lionel Messi, and cross-city adversary Atletico Madrid who have emerged as a threat.
As a whole Borussia Dortmund are a formidable and prevalent problem for German sides to contend with. The club has shown a proficiency for yielding profitable results in domestic markets. However, in international meetings this team has its hands filled. Most recently, Dortmund encountered English Premier League qualifier Tottenham Hotspur and were taken down by a score of 3-1. On the contrary, Borussia Dortmund enters off a 5-0 shelling of Cologne in Bundesliga play. These two results further reinforce the narrative that this club has two separate identities in two different realms of play. In the transfer window, Dortmund hoped to create more depth and for many accounts were successful in doing so. Dortmund finished as runner up for the UEFA Champions League in the 2011-12 campaign. Since then, they have taken a step back.
Real Madrid has the performance portfolio to warrant a selection in this contest. This team knows how to navigate this tournament and have an emotional edge approaching this game. With this contest taking place on its own ground, there will be a lot of home support that could be instrumental in the outcome of this fixture. As a whole, Madrid has been in exquisite form. Their most recent result a 3-1 win against Real Sociedad in La Liga play. This club is a perennial favorite to win La Liga credentials and has successfully run the gauntlet to win UEFA hardware. Madrid has dispatched some of the worlds two best clubs in Barcelona, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in this league previously. With this fixture having an element of offense attached to it, it is very conceivable that this one goes well above three goals. The markets are firm on three being the total be that heavy juice is required on UNDER 3.5 and OVER 2.5. It is more likely that Madrid lights up the scoreboard with their attacking prowess, so thus we are going OVER 3.5 in this contest. As a whole, both propositions create the possibility of netting 2.2 units with a risk of 2 units.
Borussia Dortmund Recent Form
W Cologne 5-0
L Tottenham Hotspur 1-3
D SC Freiburg 0-0
W Hertha Berlin 3-0
W Wolfsburg 3-0
Real Madrid Recent Form
W Real Sociedad 3-1
W Apoel Nicosia 3-0
D Levante 1-1
D Valencia 2-2
W Fiorentina 1-0 (Champions League)
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: REAL MADRID +100 (EVENS) and OVER 6/5 (+120)
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