European football returns this week, as the tasty prospect of Borussia Dortmund versus Rangers is amongst the stack of entertaining Europa League fixtures. The Yellow Wall of the Signal Iduna Park will offer an intimidating welcome to their Scottish opponents, as the German side will still be hurting after crashing out of the Champions League.
Rangers advanced in their Europa League group after finishing 2nd. They fell short of Lyon who topped their group, beating the Scottish side by eight points to claim the top spot. Dortmund had a different fortune in Europe this season, as they earned their place in this fixture by only managing 3rd place in their Champions League group. In a disappointing situation for the German side, they finished level on points with Sporting in 2nd, and couldn’t trouble Ajax who topped the group.
In terms of the current position of both teams domestically, they are equally poised in their respective leagues, as both sides are sitting in 2nd. They are both playing with dominance in their domestic leagues, as Dortmund have won 15 of their 22 league games this season (a 68% win percentage), and Rangers have won 19 out of their 26 games played (a 73% win percentage).
Rangers do find themselves in a nice bit of form, with their loss recently against Celtic becoming the first time they leave a league game without any points since August 7th. They’ve bounced back from the loss in the Old Firm derby with two wins, as they look to carry this new momentum into this European tie. However, Rangers have not managed to pick up a win in their last three away games. This can pose some worry, as they travel to Dortmund for the first leg of the tie.
Dortmund, however, have won four of their last five games, coming into this fixture with a handful of recent league wins behind them. Dortmund have a decent record in their home fixtures this season, picking up an average of 2.45 points per home game in the league, making the Signal Iduna Park a fortress and a place to be feared for opponents. Dortmund have won 82% of their home games this season, meaning that Rangers will have a real task on their hands in the first leg of this tie.
Have a look at my bet builder predictions and the Cheat Sheet below and enjoy some Thursday night European action.
Borussia Dortmund v Rangers Bet Builder Tips
Over 2.5 Goals
This game looks like it will shape up to be an entertaining fixture that will be packed with goals. Looking at goalscoring and conceding form from both teams in their recent league games, Rangers have seen their matches contain over 2.5 goals in three of their last four games in the league. Dortmund have a longer record, as their last seven league matches have contained over 2.5 goals. As Rangers will be making the trip to Germany in the first leg, the Gers have seen their last two league games have over 2.5 goals. Taking a deeper dive into Rangers’ away league form, 67% of their goals conceded in the league have been conceded away from home, providing Dortmund with a larger chance of scoring past them.
On the other hand, Dortmund have been collecting some good recent home form. They have had their last five home matches collect over 2.5 goals. Not only this, but they have scored two or more goals in their last 11 home games. This shows that with the Yellow Wall behind them, they frequently score when they have their home fans to spur them on.
Even though the stats are suggesting that this selection should be achieved, the evidence suggests that Dortmund will be the ones scoring most of the goals, which adds fuel to the suggestion that they will most likely win this first leg, as the amount of goals that they are expected to score should be enough to beat their opponents’ efforts.
Looking at the bigger picture over the course of the season, Dortmund have been able to achieve over 2.5 goals in 91% of their home games, further encouraging the fact that we will see goals on Thursday night. This shows that Dortmund always provide their fans with dramatic games, as this is well above the average league percentage of 59%.
With Rangers seeing an average of 2.92 goals going in during their matches, and Dortmund see an average of 4.23 goals being scored in their games, I believe that this selection will be very achievable, with a helping hand from Dortmund’s dramatic home form.
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Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
Marco Reus Anytime Assist
My previous selection for my bet builder predictions highlights the incredible ability of this Dortmund side to score goals, as their impeccable record this season of scoring at home is unchallengeable by the other teams in the Bundesliga. With the high chance that Dortmund will outscore their opponents on Thursday night, I’ve had a look at where I think the goals will come from, with all routes leading to Dortmund Veteran, Marco Reus.
In his games so far in the league this season, he has picked up a cheeky five assists and contributed an assist during Dortmund’s miserable Champions League campaign. When you break the stats down, the German normally delivers 0.25 assists per game, and as Dortmund will be posing a larger goalscoring threat than their opponents, the chance of this could increase. If we look at his expected assist stats, he is exceeding this by 1.5 assists. This shows that Reus is able to pull out a new level to his game and produce quality in order to provide assists that are more advanced than what he is expected to deliver.
In the league this season, the 32-year-old has an 81% pass completion record. Breaking down his passing statistics, we can take a look at where his assists come from, and why I believe that Reus will be the man to cook up some magic on Thursday night. In the league this season, Reus has completed a total of 20 full 90-minute games. In his playing time, he has achieved 37 key passes that lead to a shot on goal, which comes out at a nice 1.85 key passes per game, showing that he is always making opportunities for his teammates. He has managed to complete 30 passes into the 18-yard-box (1.5 times per game) in order to create golden shooting opportunities. Because of his seasoned ability to create chances high up the pitch, this reinforces my belief as to why I think Reus will make an assist during the match.
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Prediction: Marco Reus Anytime Assist
Scott Arfield to be Booked
The final selection of my bet builder focuses on where I think that Rangers will struggle during the game. With Dortmund being favourites to win in the first leg, this foresees the fact that Rangers may face a heavy attacking threat from a Dortmund side with a fantastic home record and with a magnitude of passionate fans behind them. With the referee in charge of tonight’s game dishing out an average of 3.5 yellow cards per game, I believe that Scott Arfield will be the Rangers man to most likely end up in the book.
Looking at his stats, Arfield manages to commit an average of two fouls per game. As his side may come under a larger amount of pressure that they normally experience in the Scottish Premiership, this may entice Arfield to make a larger amount of hesitant tackles which can lead to a bigger amount of fouls committed. If his job on Thursday night wasn’t difficult enough as he faces a strong Dortmund side, the players that he will come up against on his side of the pitch won’t be easy to deal with. On the right side of midfield, Arfield will most likely find Jude Bellingham running at him, who draws an average of 3.26 fouls per game. Not only that, but Marco Reus will be causing issues as well, as the German draws 1.9 fouls per game.
As the Canadian may find himself in defensive positions more often than he normally does in the Scottish Premiership, his defending abilities will be tested in one of his most difficult matches of the season, as Dortmund’s immense goalscoring threat will mean that Arfield may have to drop back to help his teammates, which can lead to him committing more fouls and eventually seeing yellow.
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Prediction:Scott Arfield to be Booked
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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Borussia Dortmund v Rangers Predicted Line-ups
Borussia Dortmund predicted XI (4-3-3) : Kobel; Akanji, Zagadou, Hummels, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Witsel, Dahoud; Reus, Brandt, Haaland
Rangers predicted XI (4-2-3-1) : McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Kamara, Lundstram; Kent, Aribo, Arfield; Morelos
Borussia Dortmund v Rangers Cheat Sheet
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Borussia Dortmund v Rangers in the Premier League
📅 When is Borussia Dortmund v Rangers? / Thursday, 17th February 2022, 17:45
🏟 Where is Borussia Dortmund v Rangers? / Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)
📺 What TV channel is Borussia Dortmund v Rangers on? / BT Sport 2
🟨 …And who is the referee for Borussia Dortmund v Rangers? / Clément Turpin 🇫🇷
