Our prediction for this Champions League match:
After failing to book their place in the Champions League last 16, Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to give fans something to cheer about when they take on Besiktas at Signal Iduna Park. Marco Rose’s men are low on spirits as they were beaten by Bayern Munchen in the Bundesliga derby at the weekend, but they are surely capable of matching Besiktas on home soil. Fit-again attacker Erling Haland will be the man to watch in the home team, while experience midfielder Emre Can will have to serve his ban.
The Turks, on the other hand, are having a Champions League campaign to forget, with the team losing each of their five group games. Since Besiktas are not regarded as good travelers, we predict that the hosts are going to pick up all three points from the match. All Gunok, Teixeira, and Tore should miss out with injuries for the visiting side.
Highlighted Player (Thorgan Hazard):
While his brother Eden Hazard stars for Chelsea, Thorgan Hazard plays for Borussia Monchengladbach in Bundesliga. Thorgan was born in La Louviere, Belgium on 29 march, 1993 and he played for the likes of Royal Stade Brainois, Tubize and Lens during his youth career.
Hazard made 14 appearances for Lens before joining Chelsea in 2012. He did not make his Chelsea debut as he was immediately sent on loan to Zulte Waregem, where he scored 17 goals in 73 league appearances for the club. On 5 July, 2014 he signed a loan deal with Borussia Monchengladbach and in February, 2015 he signed a permanent contract with the Bundesliga outfit. The Belgian midfielder made his first start for the club on 24 September, 2014 against Hamburg.
Speaking of his international career, Thorgan Hazard made his Belgium debut on 29 May, 2013 in a 4-2 win over USA. He has 15 caps for Belgium U21 and he scored nine goals in 15 appearances for the team. His full name is Thorgan Ganael Francis Hazard.
Highlighted Team (Besiktas):
Besiktas football club is one of the most successful teams in Turkey. Since its foundation in 1903, Besiktas have never been relegated to a lower rank of Turkish football. Black Eagles as they are known in Turkey play their matches at the Vodafone Arena in Istanbul which is an almost 42,000 all-seater capacity venue.
Considered one of the top three football clubs in the country, Besiktas are the 14-time Super Lig champions who are entering the Champions League group stage in the 2016-17 season looking to make their presence known at the European scene. Besiktas have played in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League four times already, and are yet to progress through to the knockout sgateg in the competition that was established in today’s format in 1992.
Their most outstanding European achievements of the Turkish side are the European Cup and UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1987 and 2003, respectively. During their rich history the Black Eagles have also won 9 Turkish Cups and 8 national Super Cup titles.