Dortmund – Koln

The resurgent Borussia Dortmund will take on FC Koln at Signal Iduna Park today in the Erste Bundesliga.

Borussia saw its 4 match winning streak in Bundesliga come to an end last weekend with a 0-0 draw at Hamburg, but in all honesty Dortmund was really unlucky not to win that game, as they dominated every aspect of the game and had enough chances to bang in at least a goal. Borussia is clearly looking much better than in the first part of the season – they can still improve, but the quality and the level ar there. If they continue winning, Dortmund can surely finish on an Europa League spot and they can even hope to play Champions League football next year – if they can play their best football week in week out, the 12 point cushion behind the 4th place can be attacked.

Koln got an impressive 4-2 win against Frankfurt last round, a breath of fresh air after 6 matches in which they lost 3 and recorded 3 draws. The defense has been atrocious recently for Koln and their offense was not much better if you leave aside the match with Frankfurt. Koln was barely able to create anything up front in the previous 6 games. The visitors are just 5 points above the relegation playoff / playout spot, so they will come in Dortmund to grab a point.

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Team news & lineups:

Jurgen Klopp has the healthiest squad in a long time – Borussia only misses Grosskreutz, Durm and Piszczek. Koln will not be able to count on Helmes, Gerhardt and Wimmer.

Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Kirch, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer – Bender, Gundogan – Kampl, Mkhitaryan, Reus – Immobile

FC Koln: Horn – Maroh, Hector, Olkowski, Vogt – Risse, Peszko, Lehmann, Mavraj – Ujah, Deyverson

Dortmund has a crucial game against Juventus coming up next week in the Champions League, but Jurgen Klopp knows that his side can not afford to lose points today if they want to play European football next year. There might be 1-2 changes in the lineup, but nothing major – and it should not count too much considering that the hosts are healthier than ever, with a lot of options in the squad. Koln is looking really bad in this second part of the season and the way they are conceding goals, it looks likely for them to allow at least a couple from the offensive Borussia.

My tip is Dortmund to win with a 1,25 goal asian handicap. Their offense should be too much for Koln to handle, and Klopp’s men will get a morale boosting win ahead of the Juventus match and an important boost in the standings as well. Prediction: Borussia Dortmund – FC Koln: 3-0.

Pick: Dortmund (-1,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.85 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.80
Event date: 14 March