Portugal Eagles fly over to Germany carrying a one-goal lead and will have to sharpen their talons if they intend to defend the first-leg advantage and secure their place in the quarterfinals.

Recovering Dortmund

Bundesliga powerhouse Borussia Dortmund has recovered from back-to-back slumps earlier in February which saw them lose consecutive away matches at Darmstadt and Benfica, respectively, ultimately putting great deal of pressure on Thomas Tuchel’s shoulders. However, the BVB have bounced back in style, notching three successive big-margin triumphs with 6-2 trouncing of Bayer Leverkusen being last in line as a perfect warm-up for the return leg against Benfica. Aubameyang scored a brace while Dembele, Pulisic, Schurrle and Guerreiro were also on the score sheet for Dortmund in a win which was the sixth straight home victory for Tuchel’s men. Dortmund have thus far had a rather fine season in Europe’s elite competition, having finished ahead of Real Madrid at the top of Group F in the group stages and will look for a quick recovery from their first Champions League this season as they welcome Benfica on Wednesday.

Host will have a couple of selection problems as Bender, Reus and Rode all miss out through injury, whereas Mario Gotze has been diagnosed with a metabolic disorder which has ruled him out for quite some time and possibly put his career in danger.

High-flying Eagles

Portugal champions are engaged in the two-way race with FC Porto for the Portuguese title and are currently only one point ahead of their fierce rivals at the top of the standings in Primeira Liga. Rui Vitoria’s men are fighting against the pressure bravely and are enjoying a successful run which saw them win last seven matches in a row, During that time, Benfica conceded just three goals and there is no doubt that their fantastic form will give Dortmund plenty of reason to feel worried and careful. Kostas Mitroglu has been enjoying a rather successful goal scoring spell lately with the Greek international bagging nine goals in last seven matches for the club and the visitors will be hopeful that the 28-yea-rold forward will keep the momentum going. One-goal lead will not allow Benfica to drop their guard for a moment in Germany, as BVB can be cruel punishers. Eagles have endured mixed fortunes in the Champions League thus far and will have to put in a high-quality display if they are to remain unbeaten and build up on the lead from the first leg, which will be easier said than done.

Augusto, and Lopez are struggling with foot injuries, whereas Grimaldo is another unavailable player for the trip to Germany. Midfielder Ljubomir Fejsa has been dealing with an ankle injuiry and could miss out.

Verdict

Benfica are enjoying a fantastic run with seven consecutive victories, but their form in the Champions League has been far from impressive and we are sure that Eagles will have problems dealing with extremely motivated Dormtund. The Germans are the force to be reckoned with at Westfalenstadion and we expect to see a home win.

Top pick: Dortmund/Dortmund   2.05 (21/20) @Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Dortmund to win both halves   3.00 (2/1) @StanJames

Alternative pick 2: Aubameyang to score anytime   1.60 (3/5) @888sport