A clash of the titans happens this evening in the Champions League. Real Madrid travel to Borussia Dortmund in what will be a must see match for fans of the beautiful game. A capacity crowd at Dortmund’s impressive Signal Iduna Park (formerly Westfalenstadion) will ensure that this game has an atmosphere to rival any in the world.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid: Champions League Preview
Current form
Although Madrid are currently top of La Liga, two draws recently have left spirits within the camp low. On Saturday with Real leading Las Palmas 2-1 away from home, Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted. This was reportedly due to fatigue. The home side went on to grab a late equaliser. The result was a surprise to many and a positive reaction is now required.
As far as Champions League form is concerned, two late goals were required to dispatch Sporting Lisbon 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu. They may be top of their league and have three points on the board in Europe, but all does not seem 100% at Real. Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are in close attendance in the league defeat tonight could have many in Madrid worried.
Dortmund on the other hand fired six past Legia Warsaw in their first group game and currently sit 2nd in the Bundesliga. They have suffered one defeat so far but since that 1-0 loss on 10th September at RasenballSport Leipzig, Dortmund have won four consecutive games, scoring 20 goals in the process. The latest victory was on Friday night. A 3-1 home win over Sport-Club Frieburg.
Team news
After injury scares to several players, BVB have confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Bartra, Andre Schurrle and Adrian Ramos are all available, much to the delight of manager Thomas Tuchel. The pace of Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele could stretch the Real defence and cause big problems.
Madrid have yet to confirm if the “fatigued” Ronaldo will feature after being taken off during their last match. Confirmed absentees are Casemiro and Marcelo; however, both Pepe and Fabio Coentrao have shaken off knocks and are available.
Dominant Dortmund
This fixture has not been kind to Real. BVB have won the last three games in Germany and are unbeaten in five games against their Spanish rivals on home soil. They have also won their last four home games against opposition from Spain, scoring at least two on each occasion.
Inconsistent Real in Germany
Although Real are unbeaten in the last 22 Champions League group games, the last time they lost was in Germany to Dortmund. A staggering record of just one win in 15 visits to Germany has been improved upon recently with three wins in their last five attempts. However a 2-0 defeat at Wolfsburg last time they visited the country does not hold happy memories.
Final thoughts
On recent form, both in the current league season and through the years of the Champions League, Dortmund should be considered favourites. However, Real are a top team with world stars such as Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema amongst others in their ranks. They are also one of the biggest clubs on the planet and nobody should ever count them out. They have been there, see it and done it all. This has the makings of a classic even at such an early stage in the competition. A win for either side will give them the advantage going forward in the battle to top the group. They face each other twice in the group stages but don’t count out seeing another later in the tournament.
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