Borussia Dortmund are set to host Beşiktaş in the Champions League group C fixture. The hosts will finish third in their group, regardless of the result. Beşiktaş, on the other hand, have lost five games in a row in the competition.
After starting the season on a positive note, Dortmund faced a mid-season crisis. To add to their trouble, Erling Haaland was out since mid-October due to a hip injury. He recently returned and scored against Bayern. The Bundesliga giants are out of the Champions League after facing three back-to-back defeats in the group matches. In their previous game in the Bundesliga against Bayern, Dortmund fell 2-3 against their arch-rivals. They have now been winless in seven games in all competitions. In Bundesliga, they occupy the second spot with 10 wins and four losses in 14 games. They are four points adrift of the leaders Bayern. Julian Brandt recently suffered a head injury against Bayern Munich and will be out for a couple of weeks. Thorgan Hazard is doubtful to appear due to COVID-19.
In their previous game against Sporting, Dortmund crashed out of the Champions League as they lost 1-3. They created a fair number of chances and were better in most of the stats than their opponent.
Dortmund are placed near the bottom in terms of xG and xG per 90. They struggled to find the back of the net in the absence of Haaland.
The Turkish side have not won a single game in the group stage this season. Beşiktaş have been leaking goals at the back this season, conceding 14 goals in the competition so far. They are also struggling in their league games. Currently, they are placed at the ninth spot in Super Lig and have failed to register a win in their last seven games in all competitions. Beşiktaş would be going into the game to end their campaign on a positive note by claiming a win over Dortmund. They have been plagued by injury this season. Mert Günok suffered an ACL injury against Giresunspor and is ruled out until full recovery. Ajdin Hasic is doubtful to appear as well.
In their previous game against Ajax, Ajax came from behind to secure a win over the home side. Beşiktaş failed to create an impact in the game as they were dominated by Ajax in most of the metrics. They lacked in terms of consistency due to which they were unable to recover from Sébastien Haller’s double.
Beşiktaş’s defensive worries have started to be a huge problem for their side. So far, they have conceded 14 goals this season and are placed second behind Club Brugge.
Predicted XI
Borussia Dortmund (4-1-3-2): Kobel; Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro; Dahoud; Bellingham, Wolf, Reus; Haaland, Malen.
Besiktas (4-3-3): Destanoglu; Rosier, Welinton, Vida, Meras; Hutchinson, Pajnic, Topal; Ghezzal, Larin, Karama.
Prediction
Beşiktaş have been leaking goals at the back this season, and Dortmund might be able to take advantage. A Dortmund win is a likely scenario.
