[Mario]

UEFA Champions League
12/10/2014

Borussia Dortmund vs Anderlecht

Home - Borussia Dortmund
Last away matches - L-L-D-L-W-W

Borussia Dortmund have been absolutely atrocious in domestic action, as a victory last time out pulled them out of the league’s basement and into 14th place. For a team loaded with individual quality, they have been shockingly bad at times this season. However, much of that can be credited to the fact that they have been dealing with injuries to key players all season, most notably that of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, arguably their 2 best players. But there is reason for optimism headed into the midweek, as Dortmund have been in excellent form in the Champions League this term and are close to claiming 1st place in their group for the third successive year. They tore through Anderlecht in Belgium when they met the first time, as 2 second-half goals from Adrian Ramos sealed the comfortable 3:0 win. But the big news for the hosts was the return of their defensive rock Mats Hummels last time out, and they immediately sealed the clean sheet after conceding exactly 2 goals in their previous 3 competitive outings. Now they have some defensive stability to rely upon, and a win will see them claim the group while a draw will likely yield the same result considering their significant goal differential advantage over Arsenal. The visitors have never beaten German opposition in the group stage.

Away - Anderlecht
Last away matches - L-L-W-D-W-D

RSC Anderlecht are headed to the Europa League after finishing in 3rd place in Group D. As the group underdogs headed into the competition, they can hold their heads high after some spirited performances saw them pick up 5 points through 5 matches. Now they will travel to Germany for a game that holds little meaning for the visitors, and manager Besnik Hasi could opt to rest a few players after their wild affair over the weekend saw them fall in defeat 4:2. That spelled their second straight loss on the road, and they have now conceded 12 goals in their last 5 road trips in all competitions. But this team has loads of quality as evidenced by their comeback against Arsenal when they were down 0:3 in the second half. Veteran right-back Anthony Vanden Borre sparked their late surge with 2 goals, and striker Aleksandar Mitrovic capped the all-important road point with a stoppage-time equalizer. They took the confidence they gained in that match and conquered Galatasaray in their last UCL outing, using an excellent display from centre-back Chancel Mbemba to seal the win and 3rd place in the group. However, with nothing to play for this Tuesday, their trip to Dortmund should be a different tale similar to that of their first meeting, when the Belgian club was conquered 3:0 by the superior Germans.

Asian Handicap
Home - (-2.00)
Away - (+2.00)
Pick - Anderlecht (+2.00)
Odds - 1.81
Stakes - 8/10