Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will square off in the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Wednesday evening for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Both sides have looked more fluent in Europe this term, and Dortmund are seeking to book their place in the last four of the competition since the 2012/13 campaign.
A 1-0 defeat at home to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga over the weekend was hardly the best preparation for this game, however, Edin Terzic has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from, and that could see Donyell Malen (thigh) return to the fold.
Atletico, on the other hand, should be feeling considerably fresher given they have had nine days to get ready for this clash, although Diego Simeone is faced with a big call over whether to start Pablo Barrios or Nahuel Molina.
This has all the ingredients to be a fabulous tie, but how will things unfold in the Spanish capital?
I have traversed over to the betting markets and handpicked a couple of betting tips for your perusal.
Cagey draw in prospect
The stakes couldn’t be much higher, and success on the continent this term could make up for the shortcomings of both sides from a domestic standpoint.
Intriguingly, Dortmund will be facing Atletico for the first time since the 2018/19 group stages, and on that day, the Bumblebees surged to a 4-0 win, marking Simeone’s heaviest defeat in Europe as Atletico coach.
Atletico, who will be competing in the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the 12th time, and for the seventh time in the past 11 seasons, have a decent record at this stage.
Yes, they have won three of their past six quarter-final ties, and they are unbeaten in 12 games against Bundesliga opposition (W8 D4), dating back to the defeat to Dortmund in the 1996/97 campaign.
Dortmund appear to have had more of a mental block at this stage in recent seasons, but they have lost just twice on the road in 2024 which bodes well.
There doesn’t seem to be much between the two sides on paper, and it could be a cagey affair.
For my first pick, I’ve gone with a nervy draw, and Paddy Power has priced up odds of 5/2 for you to tuck into.
Antoine Griezmann to be Atletico’s saviour
Atletico may not always be the prettiest on the eye, but they find a way of grinding out the results.
And with a talisman like Antoine Griezmann can count on, he can pull them out of some sticky situations.
The Frenchman played an instrumental role in overturning Atletico’s deficit against Inter Milan in the Round of 16, and he has netted 19 times in all competitions this term.
It underlines his best return for Atletico since rejoining the La Liga giants in 2021, whereas in his first stint, he scored at least 21 goals across each of his five campaigns.
To round things off, I’m going with Atletico to summon an equaliser through Griezmann, and for him to net inside the six-yard box. William Hill has served up an inviting price of 17/2 for you to capitalise on.
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