The club officially based in the settlement of Masazir, but hosting its European opponents in the capital, finished ahead of Qarabag last season to claim their first-ever league title. They now want to retain the trophy. Dortmund finished second in the previous Bundesliga campaign, as usual trailing Bayern Munich, and also lost to them at home in the German Super Cup during the summer. However, they have made a flying start to the new league season, moving into sole possession of first place without losing in the opening rounds.
The Azerbaijanis made their tournament debut in qualifying, where they eliminated The New Saints, KuPS, Aarhus and Hapoel Be’er Sheva. However, the league phase began with a 0-5 defeat, albeit away to Manchester United. Last week, they bounced back at home by beating Slavia Prague 2-0.
The Germans began their Champions League campaign at home in September with a thrilling win over Villarreal, finishing 3-2. In October, they travelled to Bodø/Glimt but failed to respond to the hosts’ goal, suffering a surprise defeat.
Previous matches: Sabah vs Borussia Dortmund
It goes without saying that these teams, so different in terms of level, have never faced each other before.
It is hard to believe that the German giants will slip up here as well. We are backing them to win even away from home with a handicap of “-1.5 goals” (odds – 1.75).
Sabah vs Borussia Dortmund: key statistics and trends
Sabah have lost three of their last six Champions League matches
Sabah score an average of 2.57 goals and concede 0.14 goals per match
Both teams have scored in 14% of Sabah’s matches, with an average total of 2.71 goals per game
Borussia Dortmund have recorded one win and one defeat in the tournament
Borussia Dortmund score an average of 1.83 goals and concede 0.67 goals per match
Both teams have scored in 33% of Borussia Dortmund’s matches, with an average total of 2.5 goals per game
Sabah vs Borussia Dortmund: possible starting lineups
Sabah play in a 1-4-3-3 formation (possible lineup): Pokatilov – Pukhach, McCarthy, Dashdemirov, Zedadka – Simic, Lepinica, Rakhmonaliev – Nwachukwu, Mikkels, Parris
Borussia Dortmund play in a 1-3-4-2-1 formation (possible lineup): Kobel – Svensson, Anton, Gadu – Nmecha, Wörmann, Beier, Ryerson – Sabitzer, Karetsas – Guirassy
