Ligue 1 leaders Monaco travel to Dortmund keen to continue their impressive run of form as they look to take another scalp on the European stage against the experienced Champions League participants Borussia Dortmund, who have been rather inconsistent throughout the season.

Der Klassiker disappointment

Borussia Dortmund will be hoping their 4-1 Der Klassiker defeat against Bayern Munich will not have left a dent too deep as Thomas Tuchel’s men prepare for can be their biggest challenge of the season thus far. The Bundesliga heavyweights are having a disappointing season on the home front as they are sitting in fourth place in the standings, trailing 18 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. The most recent loss to their biggest rivals offers plenty of reasons to be concerned and Tuchel faces a daunting task of motivating his men to lift their heads ahead of the important clash against Monaco. The Millionaires’ efforts have been made even harder with a string of first-team injuries which have sidelined a couple of important players for the hosts.

Marco Reus is the most notable absentee, together with Mario Gotze whose season has long been over with gastric problems. Additionally, Erik Durm, Shinji Kagawa, Andre Schurrle and Julian Weigl are also unavailable.

Mighty Monaco

The Ligue 1 outfit have been in impressive form throughout the season both domestically and internationally. Leonardo Jardim’s men have been producing stellar performances, which have been a significant boost of confidence for his young and talented squad. Having changed their modus operandi last summer when they turned away from heavy investing and focused on farming the talent, Monaco are enjoying the fruits of their labour with a youthful squad which is a perfect blend of talent and experience. With Radamel Falcao as the member of the older generation back in form, Monaco have promoted one of Europe’s brightest talents Kylian Mbappe, whose record-breaking performances, goals and skills have alarmed some of the continent’s biggest clubs. The lad has been in superb form against Manchester City as well as the Principality club overturned a two-goal deficit to seal their place in the quarter-finals and he is expected to lead the way once more.

Influential full-back Djibril Sidibe could miss the Dortmund match through appendicitis issue, whereas midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is suspended.

Verdict

Monaco are in terrific form and travel to Gemrany high on confidence, which is in great contrast to Borussia Dortmund who will be feeling a bit down after a Der Klassiker bating. The Frenchmen have proven to be quite a tough nut to crack and we do expect them to survive the scare at Westfalenstadion.

Top pick: Asian Handicap Monaco +0.75   2.10 (11/10) @BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Monaco not to lose   2.25 (5/4) @Coral

Alternative pick 2: Draw no Bet Monaco   3.70 (27/10) @Betfair