Champions League: Paris Face Danger in Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain

The 2023-24 Champions League group stage has thrown up some fantastic drama and Group F has seen some of the best; with four big hitters slugging it out over five turbulent rounds so far. 

Borussia Dortmund started slowly, but three wins on the bounce have seen the Bundesliga side through to the knockouts. Paris Saint-Germain have had a mixed campaign, but they are in second place with seven points, two more than Newcastle United and AC Milan.

A draw may not be enough for the Parisiens to go through; if the Magpies beat Milan in their final game, they could sneak into second place.

Newcastle are at home and will be in front of a passionate Geordie crowd, and they are odds on to do their business at a price of 1.83. But what of BVB and PSG?

Talking Points

Is a Revenge Mission enough for BVB?

Edin Terzic has led his team to the knockout phase in impressive fashion, but they have been misfiring in domestic competition. Dortmund hosted Red Bull Leipzig on Saturday and fell to a second successive defeat after losing to Stuttgart in the DFB Pokal Cup.

Just like winning, losing can become a habit, and Terzic will be keen to ensure his team doesn’t make it three losses on the bounce. Add to that the fact that PSG beat Dortmund in the return tie, and the hosts have plenty to get excited about.

The Yellow Wall will certainly be up for a tilt at revenge!

And you can’t ignore BVB’s Champions League 2023 results. Terzic’s side started with a loss in Paris and then drew a blank in a goalless draw at home to Milan. But back-to-back wins over Newcastle and then a superb 3-1 victory at the San Siro Stadium have lifted Dortmund from bottom to top, just like that!

They may be off-colour in the Bundesliga, but this is a team dripping with talent and a blend of youth and experience. The latest BVB wonderkid, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, scored in the win over Milan after the veteran Marco Reus had opened the scoring, with another youngster, Karim Adeyemi, adding a late third.

Dortmund may well have beaten Leipzig at the weekend had centre-back Mats Hummels not been sent off on 15 minutes. He’s eligible to line up against PSG alongside Nico Schlotterbeck, and they will certainly be up for the fight against the French team’s front line.

Can PSG hold their nerve?

Luis Enrique’s PSG are streets ahead in the French league and now they want to conquer Europe; and they are at SBOTOP odds of 1.50 to make it through to the Round of 16. But despite spending gazillions on players such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the Parisiens are yet to taste European glory.

Of course, Mbappe is still at the club and is the standout player in Ligue 1, and he has a new pair of fast forwards alongside him in Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele. Kolo Muani climbed off the bench to score PSG’s late winner over Nantes on Saturday, a result that maintained their four-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table.

While Mbappe and co. will test the BVB back line, Paris need to be ready for the German assault, which will certainly test their defensive resolve. The experienced centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Daniel Pereira will be ready for the test, and if they have a good night, then PSG should be okay.

The Champions League 2023 betting odds rate Paris as the sixth favourites to win the tournament, and that means they are strongly fancied to clear this final group hurdle, but there will be plenty of nerves in the French capital leading up to this epic clash on Wednesday.

History

The French side have had the better of the head to heads, with two wins, two draws and a loss in their encounters with BVB, including the 2-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes where Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Achrah Hakimi secured the points.    

Recent form also favours the French, who have won four, drawn one and lost one of the last six, while Dortmund have won two, drawn one and lost three.  

Betting Tip

PSG are the team with more to play for on Wednesday, with odds to win at 1.85, with Dortmund priced at 3.42 and the draw at 3.40.

Signal Iduna Park can be a terrifying place to go when you are desperate for a win, and I think BVB will make it very hard for their visitors. Paris Saint-Germain have a second chance, as the Newcastle vs Milan game may go in their favour, but they won’t want to leave anything to chance.  

 

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