UEFA Europa League: Borussia Dortmund vs FC Porto preview

Two of the best teams left in the competition clash on Thursday when Borussia Dortmund host FC Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-32 tie. The two sides have never met in an European match before, which is quite strange considering that both teams have featured constantly in both the Europa League and the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund are enjoying a good season, they are currently second in the Bundesliga behind giants Bayern Munich. They might not be able to push for the title, considering that Bayern hold an eight-point advantage, but they will surely clinch a Champions League spot at the end of the season as third-placed Bayer Leverkusen are 13 points behind. They are on a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions, with four wins and a draw recorded. Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been struggling with a slight injury but should be able to feature. FC Porto have recorded a crucial victory last week in the Portuguese league, beating bitter rivals Benfica 2-1. However, they are still lying in third place, six points behind leaders Sporting, so the title battle will probably be going down to the wire. Before that glorious victory at Benfica Porto were stunned at home by 7th-placed Arouca, which means they are still struggling for consistency. Maxi Pereira and midfielder Danilo are suspended for Thursday's match, while Marcano is injured. Probable line-ups: Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Piszczek, Sokratis, Hummels, Schmelzer - Weigl, Gundogan - Mkhitaryan, Kagawa, Reus - Aubameyang Porto: Casillas - Layun, Verdasca, Indi, Angel - Herrera, Neves, Andre - Corona, Aboubakar, Brahimi My prediction: Dortmund to win 2-1. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Dortmund win - 1.50 Draw - 4.50 Porto win - 7.50