Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting Lisbon - prediction, team news, lineups

Marco Rose's side kicked off their campaign with a victory over Besiktas in the opening round of fixtures, while the visitors will be keen to bounce back from a thrashing at the hands of Ajax.

Match preview

After reaching the quarter-finals last season, Borussia Dortmund will have hoped for another strong Champions League campaign this term, and they began with a victory on their travels.

Marco Rose's side travelled to Istanbul to take on Turkish champions Besiktas, and goals from Jude Bellingham and Erling Braut Haaland saw them take a 2-0 lead into the break, before Francisco Montero netted a 94th-minute consolation goal for the hosts.

That was part of a strong run of form for Der BVB, as they recorded four straight victories across all competitions, including a dramatic 4-3 league win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Unsurprisingly, Rose's men sit near the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts, with only league leaders Bayern Munich topping their tally of 17 goals from six outings, although more concerningly, their 12 goals conceded is more than any other side in the top half of the table.

Following that four-game winning run, Dortmund suffered a disappointing defeat last time out, as Rose saw his former club Borussia Monchengladbach earn a 1-0 win on home turf thanks to Denis Zakaria's first-half goal, and they will now be keen to bounce back and strengthen their qualification bid in Europe's elite competition.

Sporting Lisbon had a far worse start to the group stage, as they welcomed Eredivisie champions Ajax to the Portuguese capital.

A Sebastian Haller double gave the visitors a two-goal lead inside the first 10 minutes, and, while Paulinho pulled a goal back for Os Leoes, Steven Berghuis quickly restored Ajax's cushion before Haller netted another two goals in the second half to condemn them to a 5-1 thrashing.

After winning the Primeira Liga title for the first time since 2002 last term, Ruben Amorim's side have got off to a fairly strong start in their defence, winning five and drawing two of their opening seven games, but already sit four points behind Benfica, who have enjoyed a perfect start.

The Lisbon outfit bounced back from the defeat to Ajax with a 1-0 victory away at Estoril in the domestic top flight, before beating Maritimo by the same scoreline on home turf last time out.

The game looked set to end goalless until Amorim's men won a penalty deep into added time, and Pedro Porro converted the spot kick to seal a vital three-point haul.

They will now look to build on that with what would be another crucial result to ensure they do not fall far behind in the race to qualify for the final 16 of the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund Champions League form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Sporting Lisbon Champions League form:

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

Team News

Borussia Dortmund are monitoring the fitness of several key players, while winger Giovanni Reyna, midfielder Emre Can and full-back Mateu Morey will certainly miss out.

Julian Brandt is recovering from an ankle knock, and is unlikely to be thrown in this soon, while Rose will be keeping a close eye on whether star attackers Erling Braut Haaland and Marco Reus will be fit, after they missed the defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach.

If he is deemed ready, Haaland will lead the line after topping the Champions League scoring charts with 10 goals last season, and he has picked up where he left off, registering 11 goals and four assists in eight games across all competitions so far this campaign, including an eye-catching brace in his last appearance as they defeated Union Belin 4-2.

Midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud was sent off in the defeat to Gladbach, but his suspension will carry over to the next Bundesliga game, allowing him to join Axel Witsel and prospect Jude Bellingham in the engine room on Tuesday.

Sporting Lisbon are expected to remain without star forward Pedro Goncalves, who hit 23 league goals in their title-winning campaign last term, as he continues to nurse an injury that saw him miss the Ajax clash.

He should again be joined in the treatment room by centre-back Goncalo Inacio, although Sebastian Coates has since returned to the defence after missing the Ajax defeat through suspension, with the Uruguayan bound to sure up the back line somewhat.

Amorim strengthened his squad over the summer with the loan signing of Spanish winger Pablo Sarabia from Paris Saint-Germain, and he will support Paulinho, who has taken on more attacking responsibility in the absence of Goncalves.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Guerrero; Bellingham, Dahoud, Witsel; Malen, Haaland, Hazard

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Adan; Neto, Coates, Feddal; Porro, Palhinha, Nunes, Vinagre; Sarabia, Paulinho, Santos

We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Sporting Lisbon

Der BVB certainly excel going forward, and, even without a number of important players, they boast enough quality to condemn the Portuguese champions to another defeat.

If Haaland is deemed fit, he will hope to continue his eye-catching form on the continental stage with another rampant performance, and we would not look past Rose's men securing another high-scoring victory, especially if the Norweigan star leads the line.