Manchester City rose to second place in the Premier League on Sunday by beating Bournemouth 3–1 at home. The in-form Erling Haaland scored twice, bringing his autumn goal tally — combining club and national team matches — to 26. Only 16 matches have been played so far. In the Champions League, City are seventh after three rounds, with two wins and one draw.
Dortmund are level on points with City in the UCL. Most recently, they convincingly defeated FC Copenhagen away 4–2. In the Bundesliga, BVB have also had a strong start to the season, losing only once — away to Bayern Munich, 1–2. On Saturday, they beat Augsburg 1–0 away, thanks above all to solid defensive play. Their first-choice centre-back, Nico Schlotterbeck, missed that match due to illness but is expected to return for this one.
City have a top Premier League clash against Liverpool coming up, which might influence Pep Guardiola’s lineup choices slightly. For example, defensive midfielder Rodri, who has just returned from injury, is unlikely to be given heavy minutes. Haaland, meanwhile, is expected to start as usual against his former club and continue his goal chase. Despite possible minor rotation, City remain more than 60% favourites for this match. A high goal expectancy is expected, though it may not turn into an all-out goal fest. Dortmund have been a lower-scoring team than anticipated this season, both according to live odds and xG statistics. Moreover, City may be tempted to conserve energy if they take the lead, with the upcoming Liverpool match in mind.
