Sabah vs. Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

Champions League debutants Sabah big Borussia Dortmund astatine the Baku Olympic Stadium connected Tuesday, aiming to unafraid consecutive victories successful the competition.

The Azerbaijani outfit bushed Slavia Prague 2-0 past week to assertion their first-ever occurrence successful the contention astatine lone the 2nd attempt, and they present question an adjacent bigger scalp against a wobbling BVB connected matchday three.

Match preview

October 13 volition unrecorded agelong successful the representation of Sabah fans, who witnessed their broadside people their archetypal Champions League goals, grounds a maiden cleanable expanse successful the contention and, astir importantly, unafraid maximum points connected the continent for the archetypal time.

Kaheem Parris and Joy-Lance Mickels were the heroes of the evening successful Baku, wherever Valdas Dambrauskas's squad struck doubly successful the 2nd fractional to grounds a historical victory.

While determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate disappointment successful definite quarters that the lucifer was held astatine the Baku Olympic Stadium alternatively than Sabah's accustomed Bank Respublika Arena, which falls importantly abbreviated of the standards required for UEFA competitions, that should not beryllium the biggest communicative heading into matchday three.

Rather, the absorption should beryllium connected however a nine established conscionable 9 years agone person already secured their home league title, reached the main signifier of European contention for the archetypal clip successful little than a decennary and claimed their maiden triumph erstwhile galore whitethorn person tipped them to endure a succession of dense defeats.

Now, they volition look to capitalise connected Die Borussen's post-international interruption wobble and unafraid an adjacent bigger effect successful Europe's premier nine competition.

BVB volition get their archetypal sensation of Sabah connected Tuesday, arsenic Niko Kovac's men purpose to instrumentality to winning ways pursuing 2 undesirable results since the pause.

They are present winless successful 3 matches either broadside of the planetary break, having squandered a 2-0 pb by conceding doubly successful the last 5 minutes to gully 2-2 with Werder Bremen, suffered a 1-0 decision astatine Bodo/Glimt past week and failed to people successful Saturday's 0-0 gully with second-bottom Union Berlin.

Dortmund's nonaccomplishment to people successful Norway was an anomaly, but drafting blanks successful consecutive matches ended a 20-month tally without that occurring successful competitory action, dating backmost to February's 2-0 nonaccomplishment to VfL Bochum and the consequent goalless Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.

As such, they are undeniably successful a susceptible authorities amid their ongoing wobble, which leaves them astatine hazard of losing a club-record 5th consecutive Champions League distant match.

That result appears progressively feasible fixed Sabah's 5 wins from 5 location games successful the competition, including qualifying, but it remains to beryllium seen whether BVB's idiosyncratic prime volition determine proceedings successful Baku.

Sabah Champions League form:

Sabah signifier (all competitions):

Borussia Dortmund Champions League form:

Borussia Dortmund signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Sabah are seemingly injury-free for Dortmund's visit, having travel done matchdays 1 and two, arsenic good arsenic their home fixtures, unscathed.

Having netted a brace for the Owls successful Saturday's 4-0 success, Aleksey Isayev is pushing for a starting berth; however, a spot connected the seat appears much realistic arsenic Dambrauskas reinstates respective of his high-profile starters, specified arsenic Mickels, Kaheem Parris, Du Queiroz and Veljko Simic.

The visitors could invited Nico Schlotterbeck backmost into the fold for the archetypal clip successful this season's contention aft helium served a suspension connected matchday 1 and sat retired past week's nonaccomplishment to Bodo/Glimt.

Emre Can, Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma are each semipermanent absentees, rendering them ineligible regardless.

BVB request Serhou Guirassy to rediscover his scoring interaction aft the forward's three-match adust spell; having contributed to six goals earlier the hiatus, scoring 4 and assisting two, the Guinea planetary has failed to sparkle since the interruption.

Sabah imaginable starting lineup:

Pokatilov; Zedadka, Solvet, McCarthy, Puchacz; Rahmonliev, Lepinjica; Parris, Queiroz, Simic; Mickels

Borussia Dortmund imaginable starting lineup:

Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Svensson; Nwaneri, Sabitzer; Guirassy

We say: Sabah 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund's consecutive blanks and 4 consecutive Champions League distant defeats connection Sabah genuine anticipation of adding different celebrated scalp to past week's breakthrough triumph implicit Slavia Prague.

The hosts tin marque beingness uncomfortable for Kovac's susceptible side, but Die Borussen should person conscionable capable firepower to halt their winless tally and flight Baku with maximum points.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.