Borussia Dortmund host French Ligue 1 leaders Monaco this Tuesday evening. And our scribe fancies an upset here.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will need to shake off the disappointment of their Klassiker demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich this weekend. It brought to an end a series of positive results that seemed to be reinvesting momentum in the German giants. Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco had no such problems with a hard fought away win at Angers this weekend. The Ligue A leaders have won four of their last five matches and will be looking to build on their somewhat surprising 4-1 victory over Manchester City in the Round of 16.
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco | Tuesday 11 April | BVB Stadion | 20:45
To Win (90 Mins)
Dortmund 13/20 | Draw 32/10 | Monaco 7/2
Borussia Dortmund
Thomas Tuchel has an absolutely ridiculous slew of injuries that looks like it could impinge directly on their chances of progressing in this match. Mario Goetze is still fighting illness, but the likes of Marco Reus, Julian Weigl, Shinji Kagawa, Andre Schurrle and Dzenis Burnic are all out of contention for this match. Tuchel’s side are clearly hugely dependent on the goal scoring exploits of Aubameyang: this week more than ever. Pulisic and Dembelle will be key to their counterattacking forays, especially if they adopt a likely 3-1-4-2 formation. They have lost a large amount of creativity in those injuries and will likely be more dangerous on the break.
I think that they are going to have a tough night containing a Monaco side bursting with athleticism. The midfield is going to have to work hard to contain the likes of Silva and Fabinho. Dortmund are a strange side. They could lose the first leg at home and progress, such is their unpredictability. They are a side that likes to play front-foot football and that should make for a fascinating match at the BVB Stadion.
Monaco
Monaco are going to be without the suspended Tiemoue Bakayoko for this fixture. That will come as a real blow following a series of imposing performances in the two legs against City. Monaco will also be without Guido Carrillo and Gabriel Boschilla for this week’s game. Bernado Jardim will not deviate from the traditional 4-4-2 formation that has proved so effective for the French side. Silva has been nothing short of mesmerising for Monaco. I would go as far to say that he has been the standout player in the competition for my money. His vision and weight of pass could have him in the sights of a few of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Radamel Falcao is in a perpetual battle for fitness but will likely start this week. The striker’s physical presence is a wonderful accompaniment to the silky skills of Silva. Joao Moutinho will likely come in for Bakayoko. The veteran Portuguese player will have a testing evening and could potentially be the weak link in this well drilled and cohesive side. This could well represent the best opportunity to take down Dortmund and I expect Jardim’s side to be more than ready this week.
Verdict: Monaco to Win at 7/2
This one may seem a bit crazy, but I think that Monaco have a good chance of upsetting a slightly threadbare German outfit this week.
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets
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