Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund Bet Builder Tips: Rayners to pose more problems

Mamelodi Sundowns beat Ulsan Hyundai 1-0 in their 2025 Fifa Club World Cup opener on Tuesday, moving top of Group F following the goalless draw between Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund earlier in the day.

The Sundowns are next in action on Saturday (17:00, DAZN), when they take on Dortmund at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Below are my Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund Bet Builder Tips, featuring shots and tackles in a 5/1 four-fold.

Iqraam Rayners (SUN) Total Shots - 2+

South Africa international Iqraam Rayners was the Sundowns' hero against Ulsan, firing past Jo Hyeon-woo in the 36th minute to put his side in the lead, one which they held on to for the rest of the game.

Rayners thought he had opened the scoring five minutes before he officially did, but his effort was ruled out for a handball.

Still, the 29-year-old departed proceedings in the 77th minute a happy man, having scored the winner with one of his two attempts at goal, and winning three of his six ground duels.

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Rayners is a certainty to start again on Saturday, and while back-to-back goals may be considered ambitious, I'm confident he can record another couple of shots, at least.

He averaged 1.8 shots per game in the 2024/25 South African Premier League and 1.4 per game in this season's CAF Champions League.

While Dortmund, on paper at least, represent several steps up in class from any other side they have faced this term, the Bundesliga club are defensively fragile, despite keeping a clean sheet against Fluminense on Tuesday.

Niko Kovac's charges were second-best against the Brazilians, who racked up 14 shots, double the amount of the Germans, and Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was forced into five saves, one from Flu centre-forward Everaldo, who found himself in a similar position to that from which Rayners scored against Ulsan.

Everaldo's wingmen in that game, Jhon Arias and Agustin Cannobio, recorded three and two shots, respectively, against Dortmund.

Rayners has shot 2+ times in his last eight appearances, and I reckon he can make that nine in Cincinnati.

Handicap 3 Way 3.0 - Mamelodi Sundowns

I considered the +2.0 handicap on the Sundowns, but I'm dropping down to +3 for extra protection.

For this leg to land, we need the Sundowns to lose by no more than two goals, which, based on each side's Group F opener, looks extremely achievable.

Granted, Dortmund were playing 2023 Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense, who have made a strong start to their Serie A season in Brazil, while the Sundowns were in action against an Ulsan outfit fourth in the K League 1, 12 points adrift of leaders Jeonbuk.

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund Odds

Still, I was very disappointed by the manner of Dortmund's performance, with BVB recording just seven attempts at goal against Flu, none from star striker Serhou Guirassy, who failed to get into the game. They lacked any real fluency in the final third, and Kovac must be considering several changes to his starting XI on Saturday.

The Sundowns, meanwhile, were full of life against Ulsan, shooting 14 times and restricting their opponents to nine efforts, just four of which came after the interval. A late onslaught was expected from the South Koreans, but they managed just three shots after the 65th minute, a real testament to the defensive work of their opponents.

Do I think Dortmund will win Saturday's match? Yes, but do I think they will run away with it? That, I'm much less sure of, so I'm happy to hand the Sundowns a three-goal headstart here, with the belief that Dortmund will only win by two goals, at a maximum.

Niklas Sule (DOR) Total Shots - 1+

Dortmund defender Niklas Sule was responsible for two of Dortmund's seven shots on Tuesday. He saw a right-footed effort blocked from a corner in the 40th minute, and had a desperate long-range effort saved in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.

The 6ft 5in defender can be a tough man to mark in the penalty area, and in the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, he averaged 0.9 shots per 90 minutes, recording at least one attempt in half of his 12 starts.

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Sule shot twice from two separate corner situations against Flu, despite Dortmund taking just three corners in the whole game.

I'm expecting a lot more corners to be whistled their way against the Sundowns, who conceded nine to Ulsan earlier in the week, and that should hand Sule further opportunities to try his luck.

Mamelodi Sundowns Total Tackles - Over 20.5

There were 41 tackles recorded in the Sundowns' victory over Ulsan on Tuesday, with the South African side edging the figures with 21.

Earlier in the day, Flu made 22 tackles against Dortmund, so I'm happy to back their next opponents, the Sundowns, on the overs this Saturday.

We need at least 21 tackles to land the above selection, which is exactly the number that Miguel Cardoso's men managed against Ulsan. With qualification in their sights, I can't see the Sundowns being any less aggressive in their duelling against Dortmund, so I'm happy to back 21+ at TQL Stadium.

Offers

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