Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica. UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round.
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Wednesday 8 March 2017 18:43, UK
Borussia Dortmund will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Benfica in the Champions League last-16 second leg on Wednesday.
Kostas Mitroglou's goal earned Benfica a 1-0 first-leg victory in Portugal, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's saved penalty saw Dortmund's hopes of an away goal dashed.
Benfica's record in Germany will give Dortmund some confidence however, with the current Portuguese champions having lost all nine of their away games on German soil in the European Cup/Champions League - scoring four goals and conceding 26.
Dortmund head into the tie on the back of a 6-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen - which included an Aubameyang double, while Benfica lead the way in the Primeira Liga after winning five on the spin.
Team news
Dortmund were dealt a blow on the weekend against Leverkusen with Marco Reus sustaining a thigh injury which will keep him out for at least a month.
Raphaël Guerreiro is a doubt for the German outfit and will face a late fitness test following a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Brazilian midfielder Filipe Augusto has been declared fit for the tie after recovering from an ankle injury.
Opta stats
Borussia Dortmund eliminated Benfica in the 1963/64 European Cup first round, their only previous encounter. They lost 2-1 in the first leg, but won 5-0 in Germany to win the tie.
In fact, Dortmund have won all four of their home games against Portuguese clubs in the European Cup/Champions League, scoring 11 goals and conceding two.
Dortmund's defeat in Lisbon was their first in the Champions League this season after winning four and drawing two of their previous six games. It was also the first time they failed to score.
Dortmund have lost seven of their last nine games in the Champions League knockout stages (W2).
Charlie's prediction
I was disappointed with Dortmund in the first leg but they have been scoring freely since so should have enough firepower.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was back in the goals and I think he'll deliver because he's a big-game player, which I imagine we'll see with Real Madrid at some point in the near future.
Benfica are a decent team technically but they don't have what it takes to sit in and cope with this level of quality.
Charlie predicts: 3-0 and Aubameyang to score first (16/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
Dortmund are Sky Bet's 8/11 favourites to progress despite Benfica holding a first-leg lead, with the Portuguese champions 7/1 outsiders on the night. Thomas Tuchel's men are just 4/11 to record a victory on Wednesday evening and 4/1 to be held to a draw, with a 1-0 Dortmund win and extra-time priced at 13/2.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heads the first goalscorer betting at 9/4 followed by Ousmane Dembele at 4/1, while Kostas Mitroglou is rated the visitors' main threat at 8/1 to net first