Borussia Dortmund Vs. Sporting Lisbon: Host Avoids Homecoming

JAKARTA - Borussia Dortmund will try to avoid one of the biggest surprises in European history when they host Sporting Lisbon at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday 19 February or Thursday morning WIB, in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 playoffs.

Dortmund won the first match with a score of 3-0 on 11 February 2025, where all goals were scored in the second half. Sporting failed to pose a serious threat to the Bundesliga side even though they recorded 13 shots into the net.

Borussia Dortmund appeared dominant in the first leg scoring three goals through Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Gross, and Karim Adeyemi. The first two goals were created from an almost identical attack pattern, namely a pass from the right that leads to a far post and is successfully resolved properly.

The hosts ended the Champions League group stage with 15 points and were only one point adrift of the automatic ticket to the last 16. Despite scoring first in two of their three defeats in the group stage, Dortmund still failed to achieve maximum results.

Since being handled by a new coach, Niko Kovac, Dortmund have suffered two defeats in three matches. One of these defeats occurred on Saturday 15 February when they lost 0-2 to VfL Bochum, the team which is currently second-placed at the bottom of the Bundesliga.

Dortmund currently occupies the 11th position in the Bundesliga standings with a collection of 29 points, eight points behind RB Leipzig who occupies the fourth or final limit of the Champions League zone.

Overall, Dortmund suffered two defeats in their last three games, but in the last six games in all competitions, they won three wins and one draw. In that period, they scored 11 goals and conceded eight times.

However, Dortmund's performance at home in recent weeks has been quite disappointing. They have only won once in the last seven games at Signal Iduna Park, with three draws and three defeats. Even so, Dortmund have never lost at home with a difference of three goals or more in their last 31 matches.

On the other hand, Sporting Lisbon came close to opening the scoring in the first leg when one of their shots hit the crossbar in the 18th minute. However, these efforts were their best chance throughout the match.

Coach Rui Borges is currently bringing Sporting to the top of the Premier League standings with 52 points, only two points ahead of Benfica who are in second place. Unfortunately, they are not in their best form after being held to a draw in their last two league games.

However, Sporting has had a shocking experience for the big team in the Champions League this season. On November 5, they won 4-1 over Manchester City, the Premier League defending champion. In addition, they also beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the Champions League in September 2022.

However, Sporting's latest performance in European competitions was less promising. They failed to win in the last three matches (two draws, one loss) and have lost in four of the last five matches in the Champions League.

In addition, the performance of away Sporting in European competitions also deserves attention. They have won only once in the last eight away matches, with three draws and four defeats. In their last 10 away games in the Champions League, Sporting was only able to win three draws and swallow seven defeats.

Coach Niko Kovac has had a bit of injury problems in his squad. Felix Nmecha and Ramy Bensebaini are still unable to play and are expected to return in March.

For this match, Dortmund are likely to use a four-back formation with Julian Ryerson, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Danielpresentsson on the back.

In midfield, Pascal Gross, who scored in the first leg, will most likely duet with Salih Ozcan in a double-pivot scheme. In attack, Serhou Guirassy will be backed by trio Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon had to play without their two full-backs, Geny Catamo and Nuno Santos. The absence of the two players makes Rui Borges most likely to field Ivan Fresneda and Matheus Reis as substitutes.

In midfield, Zeno Debast and Morten Hjulmand will most likely be the main choices, especially as Daniel Braganca is ruled out until the end of the season due to ligament injuries.

On the front lines, Pedro Goncalves is also absent due to a ligament injury, so Francisco Trincao and Biel will most likely accompany major striker Viktor Gyokeres.

Dortmund had a big advantage thanks to a 3-0 win in the first leg, but they had to stay alert to the potential shock from Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese team has proven that they were able to create a miracle in the Champions League this season, just like when they beat Manchester City.

However, with Sporting's less convincing away performance and Dortmund's pretty strong home record, the hosts should be able to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1):Cobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck,tanzson; Ozcan, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens; Guirassy

Sporting Lisbon (4-2-3-1):Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Quaresma, Reis; Debast, Hjulmand; Trincao, Simoes, Biel; Gyokeres

Final score prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Sporting Lisbon (5-1 aggregate).