The first match between the rivals in Lisbon shocked the local crowd. Sporting dominated the first half, creating real chances for the visiting team. In total there were four shots at Kobel's goal, but the Swiss goalkeeper and one of the crossbars worked reliably. In the 59th minute of the match Dijokeres, the best forward of the Green and Whites, who recently returned to action after a minor injury, came on the pitch. However, instead of the expected goal from the Swedish striker, Sporting got the ball in their own net authored by Girassi. Borussia then capitalised on two more occasions, bringing the score to a rout. Of course, a 0:3 home defeat does not bode well for the Portuguese team, but it allows them to play in Dortmund without unnecessary psychological pressure. All the worst has already happened to the leader of the Portuguese championship. Bookmakers have identified the home team as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.96 on their victory.

Last Saturday, Niko Kovac's team was going to consolidate the joy of success from the meeting in Lisbon on the national arena. However, the match against Bochum showed that the Croatian coaching staff still has a lot of work to do. The 0-2 defeat to the outsider emphasised that the Bumblebees' away problems haven't gone away after the win over Sporting. It is also a shame that this defeat was Borussia's second consecutive defeat in the domestic league. It's even more frustrating to find the Dortmund club in eleventh position in the standings, eight points away from the Champions League zone. If Sporting play in the return leg the way they did at the start of the season, the Lisbon team will have a chance of a two-match success.

Sporting themselves also misfired in the league after their first meeting with Borussia Dortmund. At home on Saturday, the team was left in the minority against Aroki when they lost 1:2 to a modest opponent. Character was enough for the Green and Whites to equalise but they failed to achieve more than a draw. The visitors have nothing to lose, and they are quite strong in attack. We bet that the rivals will exchange goals in this game.