Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Sporting
Match Time & Date:
11/02/2025
21:00
Prediction: 2-2
Borussia Dortmund
Estadio Jose Alvalade will be the centre of attention when Sporting CP and Borussia Dortmund square off against each other in the Champions League last 32, first leg. The Lions were on the verge of beating Porto in the Primeira Liga derby at the weekend, but Danny Namaso’s late goal eventually helped the Dragons grab one point from the match. Sporting aim to return to winning ways as soon as possible, but bear in mind that Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand misses Tuesday’s game through suspension.
The Yellow-Blacks, on the other hand, aim to recover from a 2-1 loss to Stuttgart. Borussia Dortmund are likely to stick to their attacking style of play and given Sporting’s attacking potential at home soil, we are tempted to place our bets on both teams to score. Midfielder Felix Nmecha should be the only absentee in the visiting team as defender Niklas Sule has overcome his injury.
Highlighted Player (Julian Brandt):
Julian Brandt is one of the most promising wingers in Germany. He started playing football in his hometown, Bremen, at SC Borgfeld, moving to FC Oberneuland, after which he joined VLF Wolfsburg’s youth academy. With 27 goals in his 48 games during two seasons with the Wolves, Brandt recommended himself to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract in January 2014.
The 22-year-old winger prefers to play on the left flank, but he can also provide help on the right side, as well as an attacking midfielder. During the season 2015/2016, Julian Brandt netted goals in six consecutive games, becoming the youngest player since Gerd Muller to achieve this.
The good performances in the season made Joackim Low call the youngster in Germany’s preliminary 27-man squad for the Euro 2016 and he made his first appearance for the senior squad in May 2016, against Slovakia. He was a part of the Germany squad at the Summer Olympics, where Brandt and his teammates won the silver medal. In the summer of 2018, Julian Brandt made the World Cup team.
Highlighted Team (Sporting):
When it comes to official club members, Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon are the sixth club in the world. Commonly referred to as Leoes which is Portuguese for Lions, Sporting Lisbon were founded in 1906 and are one of the founders of the Primeira Liga.
Sporting’s main rivals are Benfica, with both teams contesting the Lisbon Derby, one of the most fierce ones in Europe. Lions play their games at Estadio Jose Alvelade in front of 50,000 people and are the third most successful club in the country with 46 titles in Portuguese competitions and a title in the European Cup Winner’s Cup from 1963-64.
During this time that is also known as the club’s golden years, Sporting Lisbon won the majority of their 18 Primeira Liga titles in total. Sporting Lisbon boasts the quality football youth academy system which has yielded world-class footballers such as Paulo Furte, Simao Sabrosa, Nani and Ballon d’Or winners Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Brest 
PSG
Juventus 
PSV
Man City 
Real Madrid 
Club Brugge 
Atalanta
Everton
Liverpool
Celtic
Bayern Munich 
