Borussia Dortmund will be looking to ease into the Champions League round of 16 when they host Sporting CP in the second leg of their play-off tie.

Dortmund produced an efficient display in Lisbon to take full control of this tie, with summer arrival Serhou Guirassy starring as Niko Kovac picked up his first win in charge of BVB.

Issues have continued to arise under the new manager domestically, however, and they were beaten again at the weekend. This time, Bochum took advantage of their vulnerabilities in a dire 2-0 defeat.

Sporting, meanwhile, have fallen by the wayside since Ruben Amorim left town, and their fortunes are not improving under Rui Borges after Amorim’s successor, Joao Pereira, was sacked weeks into the job.

After last week’s convincing defeat, ten-man Sporting were held at home by Arouca on Saturday and their advantage at the top of the Primeira Liga is now just two points.

Here’s all you need to know about Wednesday’s Champions League play-off.

Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

Kovac inherited a relatively healthy Dortmund squad, although Felix Nmecha and Ramy Bensebaini are both out until March and won’t be in action on Wednesday.

Marcel Sabitzer was hooked at half-time against Bochum and could drop out of the hosts’ midfield in favour of Salih Ozcan. He’ll likely join Pascal Gross in Dortmund’s pivot, with the German international scoring in last week’s first leg win.

Guirassy is a shoo-in to start up top after his stellar display in Lisbon.

Dortmund predicted lineup vs Sporting (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy.

Midfield general Morten Hjulmand is available for selection after missing the first leg due to suspension. However, the hosts recently suffered a notable setback in the middle of the park as Daniel Braganca sustained an ACL tear.

Defender Zeno Debast could be forced into a midfield role in Braganca’s absence.

Geny Catamo has also recently joined Sporting’s injury list alongside Nuno Santos, a former Amorim favourite, so we’ll likely see the visitors adopt a back four in Dortmund.

Sporting predicted lineup vs Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Quaresma, Reis; Debast, Hjulmand; Trincao, Simoes, Biel; Gyokeres.

Sporting once looked like one of the dark horses in this competition, but their falloff after Amorim’s departure has been staggering. They were put to the sword by a vulnerable Dortmund team last week, and they’ve now got a near impossible task on Wednesday if they want to progress.

The requisite inspiration isn’t arriving anytime soon, with the Yellow Wall bound to enjoy yet another evening in the Champions League.

Kovac’s side are doubtlessly flawed and may well concede on home soil, but Guirassy’s undeniable quality should shine through again in a closely contested victory.

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Sporting CP

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