PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund
The winners of the Group of Death will finally have the chance to prove that their supremacy in the group stages was no fluke. Dortmund will march to Philips Stadion for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash against Eredivisie’s top dogs, PSV.
This bout will not be a task for BVB, but it will also be a chance for PSV to attest that their reign in the Dutch top flight should be revered and that they are a worthy adversary against the best clubs in Europe.
But it won’t be a walk in the park for the Dutch side, as they need to contain BVB’s Niclas Füllkrug, who has been one of the hottest players in the German top flight in the past few weeks.
Talking Points
Niclas Füllkrug will be key to Dortmund’s success
The German national team’s No. 9 has been locked-in for Dortmund, especially in the past few weeks. The prolific striker is the main catalyst as to why BVB have been unbeaten since the start of the calendar year, as he time and time again delivers on the attacking end.
His production has been more evident in their last five Bundesliga matches, where he produced eight of his 18 goal involvements in the season thus far.
He put the whole football world on notice when he scored a hat-trick against Bochum last month, then proceeded to follow it up by delivering a dagger of a goal while claiming two assists to boot against SC Freiburg on what was his 31st birthday.
The 31-year-old now has 11 goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season, while notching one goal and claiming one assist in their Champions League campaign. Füllkrug’s success lands him in the sixth spot in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race while also claiming the sixth spot in the Bundesliga assist race as well.
Given his pivotal role in Edin Terzic’s system, how well Füllkrug plays should be Dortmund’s barometer of success in the Champions League, where they will be looking to continue their strong form after winning the “Group of Death.”
PSV are pulling away in Eredivisie
Like Dortmund, PSV had respectable Champions League 2024 results as well, finishing second in Group B, and are aiming to do more of the same in the Round of 16.
If their performance in their domestic league, Eredivisie, is directly proportional to what they’ll be producing in the Champions League, then everyone is in trouble.
PSV are leagues ahead of any other adversary in the Dutch top flight, where they boast 62 points after 22 matches played, 13 points clear of second-placed Feyenoord.
Head coach Peter Bosz’s philosophy has been a headscratcher for their adversaries in Eredivisie, as his men have already netted a whopping 70 goals while only conceding 10. Talk about unstoppable.
At this stage of their season, I think it’s safe to say that the Eredivisie title is theirs to lift this 2023–24 campaign.
The question now is if they can extend their dominance in the Dutch League to the pinnacle of European club football. The odds at SBOTOP have PSV as the slight favourites to win against Dortmund, so it seems like their bid for European dominance isn’t as farfetched after all.
History
In recent history, PSV and Borussia Dortmund have only played once. It was a club friendly way back in 2017 at Estadio Municipal de La Línea de la Concepción, where the German side overwhelmed PSV with a flurry of attacks that garnered them a 4-1 win.
As for their performances in the Champions League 2024 group stages, Dortmund topped what was deemed the toughest cluster in the group stages. Edin Terzic’s outfit was able to fend off football giants in PSG, Milan, and Newcastle to attain supremacy in the Group of Death.
Meanwhile, PSV were clustered with Arsenal, Lens, and Sevilla in Group B. PSV started their campaign on a rough note, suffering a humbling 4-0 defeat against Arteta’s Gunners. But Bosz and his men quickly rallied and stayed undefeated from that point on, garnering enough points to finish second in Group B and qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
Betting Tip
This is going to be a close one, folks! The Champions League 2024 betting odds suggest that this will be a tight and well-matched skirmish, as neither team has a considerable advantage to win.
The Dutch side, PSV, are the slight favourites to win with a price of 2.14, while Bundesliga’s Dortmund are right there at 2.93 with a draw price of 3.41.
Personally, I think that the winner of this match will be known with a toss of a coin. Which is why if punters want to bet on the main lines, biases aside, they might as well go for the offer with the highest value, which is the draw price at 3.41.
But as mentioned above, these teams have potent offences to showcase, which is why the total goals over 2.75 at 1.84 should be the line to consider as it holds the sweet spot for both excitement and value. PSV as a whole already have 70 goals to their name in their top flight, while BVB’s Niclas Füllkrug has been steamrolling the Bundesliga. So it’s not hard to imagine this clash to have a high aggregate.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
