Borussia Dortmund v Monaco: Team news & predictions
Check out our match pack for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco on Wednesday night.
The game was will now kick-off at 1745 BST on Wednesday April 12 after being put back 24 hours following a bomb going off on the Borussia Dortmund team bus on Tuesday night.
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco: Our prediction
Our Nick Hext writes... Monaco’s reward for getting the better of Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League is a quarter-final against Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund.
I’m surprised to see the Ligue 1 leaders as big outsiders to progress from a tie in which both sides will be fancying their chances of qualifying.
As you would expect at this stage of the Champions League, both sides are in good form with Monaco only suffering two defeats in their last 22 outings.
The 4-1 defeat against PSG in the French League Cup final will still be hurting Leonardo’s Jardim’s men but they’ve recovered with back-to-back victories to get back on track.
Monaco’s strength is clearly in attack - they scored six goals when getting through against Manchester City on away goals after drawing 6-6 on aggregate.
Jardim’s side managed three of those goals when losing 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium but they have collected wins on the road at Villarreal (in qualifying) and Tottenham during their march to the last eight.
However, this is a much tougher task for Monaco. That’s despite Dortmund entering this contest on the back of a chastening 4-1 defeat at Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
That reverse will be a concern for boss Thomas Tuchel but his side are more than capable of bouncing back, as they did when beating Benfica 4-0 at the Westfalenstadion after losing 1-0 in Portugal in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
Dortmund finished 2016 with an unbeaten home record stretching 24 matches and they’ve won six and drawn one of their seven matches on their own turf this year.
That makes it fully understandable for Dortmund to be odds-on across the board for the win but I’d be surprised if it is a runaway success for the Bundesliga outfit.
I like the look of the 23/20 available with Betfair Sportsbook and Marathon Bet for over 3.5 goals in this contest.
Five of Dortmund’s eight Champions League games have got above that mark (including the incredible 8-4 win at home to Legia Warsaw in the group stage) and Monaco can’t rely on their defence to get to the last four.
Expect plenty of entertainment across both legs of this tie and start with the odds-against for four or more goals in this opening contest.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Monaco
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco: Press Association preview
Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel believes his side are slight underdogs for their Champions League quarter-final with Monaco.
The Germans welcome the Ligue 1 leaders to the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday evening before travelling to the principality for the return leg next Wednesday.
Dortmund sit fourth in the Bundesliga table after suffering a 4-1 defeat at rivals Bayern Munich on Saturday and Tuchel feels Monaco's superior domestic form may give them a small advantage.
"Monaco have lots of players who impress us," he told uefa.com.
"We think they have outstanding individual talent, but they are also very compact as a team and athletically very strong.
"It's a very complete package with an outstanding coach who has a distinctive style. They have big personalities and a lot of good young players.
"It is a 50-50 game, but the momentum (is) slightly on their side. But we feel ready for this great match, to show what we can do and to win it."
Dortmund have endured injuries to key players in recent weeks, but they could welcome back a number of first-team regulars against Monaco.
Julian Weigl and Shinji Kagawa are expected to be available, along with right-back Lukasz Piszczek, while creative midfielder Marco Reus may also be fit.
Dortmund defender Raphael Guerreiro has warned not to expect too much from the returning players and believes the club's supporters could play a big role in securing a positive first-leg result.
"In our stadium we have a really incredible atmosphere," he said.
"The fans will put a lot of pressure (on the visitors) and that will really help us. It is true that we have had some problems away from home, but we have had very good results at home. But we are still very stable.
"Some players have returned from injury and it will take a while for them to get back to their usual level."
Monaco midfielder Fabinho is keen to emulate the side which reached the final of the competition in 2004, but admits elimination would "not be a disaster".
Leonardo Jardim's side are currently three points above champions Paris St Germain in Ligue 1 and Fabinho believes winning the domestic championship is more important than progressing in the Champions League.
Monaco have not been further than the quarter-finals of Europe's premier competition since they lost 3-0 in the final to Jose Mourinho's Porto 13 years ago.
"In 2004, it was an unprecedented event for Monaco," Fabinho told the club's official website. "It's a different time, but nothing is impossible in football. We're not the best team or the favourites, but we're going to give it our all.
"The priority is the championship, but we want to continue our way, it is a competition apart. If we are eliminated it will not be a disaster."
Monaco's chances have not been helped by the loss of defender Djibril Sidibe, who is in hospital being treated for appendicitis, while midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who scored the deciding goal in the last round against Manchester City, is suspended.
Fabinho insists they will continue to play the attacking football which has seen them net 88 times in 31 league games as they approach the business end of the season.
The Brazilian, who has scored eight of those goals, plus one in the European victory over City, added: "When we saw we were going to play Dortmund, we knew they were going to be very difficult opponents in their attacking play, and with the talented young players they have. In those respects, they are similar to us.
"They have an excellent team, with a bit more European experience than us, but we're going to try to stand up to them.
"The style we play is not going to change, it has got us this far, so we'll try to play the same against Dortmund."
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco: Opta facts
This is the first competitive encounter between Borussia Dortmund Dortmund and Monaco.
Only one French team has beaten Dortmund on their own soil in European competition (D3 L5), it was Marseille in December 2011 (3-2).
Meanwhile, this will be Monaco’s third competitive game against a German side this season after facing Bayer Leverkusen in the group stages, drawing 1-1 at home before losing 3-0 away.
Borussia Dortmund have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the third time in the last five seasons.
Borussia Dortmund have lost only one of their eight Champions League games this season (W5 D2), it was away against Benfica in the round of 16 first leg. o However, Dortmund have lost seven of their last 10 games in the Champions League knockout stages (W3).
Borussia Dortmund have scored more goals than any other team from the 76th minute onwards in this season’s Champions League (7). They’ve also netted 12 goals in their last two home games (8 v Legia Warsaw, 4 v Benfica).
Monaco have made the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the fourth time. Only PSG have done better among the French teams (five times)
It’s the second time in three years Monaco have reached the last eight of the competition. However, the last time they made the semis was back in 2003/04, when they were eventually beaten by Porto in the final.
Monaco have conceded 13 goals in the Champions League this season – including eight in their last two away games – more than any other team among the remaining quarter-finalists.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored seven goals in seven Champions League games this season, including a hat-trick in his last outing against Benfica in the round of 16.
Despite making only 11 starts in the Champions League, Falcao has scored eight goals.
Fabinho is directly involved in three of Monaco’s last six Champions League goals (1 goal, 2 assists).
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco: Sky Bet odds
Dortmund are Sky Bet's 8/13 favourites to establish a first-leg lead with Monaco up against odds of 19/5, while the draw is priced at 100/30. The German outfit are also shorter odds in the outright at 15/2 compared to their visitors’ price of 16/1, with Leonardo Jardim’s men 6/4 outsiders to reach the semi-finals. Goals aplenty are expected as three or more is priced at even-money, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the 11/4 favourite in the first goalscorer, while Falcao is rated the visitors’ main threat at 11/2 to break the deadlock.
MOST READ FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL TIPS
