Monaco – Dortmund: all to play for
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Plenty of life left in this tie
Free-scoring Monaco welcome Borussia Dortmund to Stade Louis II on Wednesday evening for a second-leg Champions League tie that remains very much in the balance. The action is played out live on BT Sport from 7.45pm – click here to make your match bets, or build midweek accas.
The locals have the edge in this one going into Wednesday, having claimed a 3-2 win in last week’s first leg, but there’s not many in the game predicting Monaco to go and sit on that lead, shut-up shop and squeeze through by the one goal advantage. It’s just not how they do things.
Goals look guaranteed again
Further goals look guaranteed here, and our traders know it, keeping the both to score market under wraps, giving 1/3 on a repeat of last Wednesday where we enjoyed a five-goal thriller. That looks a price for multiples only, but it’s little surprise to see them adopt that stance, considering the form of the French side in this competition so far.
Monaco went for the jugular when facing Manchester City in the round of 16, going down 5-3 at the Etihad, before sorting things out at this venue in the repeat, winning a pulsating contest 3-1, enough to see them sneak through 6-6 on the away goal rule. Both teams have scored in each of Monaco’s last three, but what’s more surprising is that the trio has given us no less than 17 goals.
Mbappe scored three in two
That’s astonishing, but no major surprise to followers of the Red and Whites, as each of the last six matches involving Monaco has resulted in three or more goals being scored. That trend can be followed at Coral, and we’re giving 4/11 on the game producing over 2.5 goals, while Monaco to win and over 2.5 goals to be scored is rather more tempting at 13/5.
Wonderkid Kylian Mbappe has a real future ahead of him in the game, and ranks as the top scoring teenager in this competition at the knockout stage. He helped himself to a double in Germany, and has scored three goals in his last two starts in this format. He can be trusted at 6/1 to score first again on Wednesday, or 7/4 in the anytime market.
BVB fancied to win the battle
Borussia Dortmund battled back from 2-0 down at half-time in front of their own fans to lose the game 3-2. Not ideal, but they remain in the hunt for qualification, and know the away win would give them every chance of going through. Our football guys don’t see it happening though, giving 9/4 on BVB to qualify.
It’ll not be the first time they have overturned a first-leg defeat though. Thomas Tuchel’s side were beaten 1-0 by Benfica in the previous round, before turning it around in the second leg, winning 4-0. That was at home though, and a slow start against Monaco, that saw them concede two goals in 35-minutes, looks to have cost them their best chance of going through.
Dortmund should get plenty of goal scoring opportunities to remain competitive here, and if they can keep things tight at the back, and hit Monaco on the counter, they may have half a chance. The odds make them capable of winning the match, with 5/4 going on the away day in 90-minutes.
