Champions League Preview: Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid cannot afford anything less than a convincing victory against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday if they are to have any hope of retaining their Champions League crown.
Real Madrid cannot afford anything less than a convincing victory against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday if they are to have any hope of retaining their Champions League crown.
Vicente Del Bosque's side have not won in Europe since September 25 when they beat Genk 6-0 in the Bernabeu.
After again splashing out in the summer on Ronaldo to add to their star-studded squad, they have yet to produce the kind of consistency that brought them success last term. The poor run in the Champions League could cost them millions of euros in revenue as they currently occupy last place in Group C.
President Florentino Perez knows the importance of the competition to boost the economic side of his dream of dominating the domestic and continental scene during his reign. But depsite having the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Raul at their disposal they failing to convince on any front yet. One point from their opening two games in the Champions League have left many critics wondering if it is time for a new coach at the club and if they fail to take maximum points against the Germans the muted calls for Del Bosque's head will grow worryingly louder.
In the buildup to the mighty tussle against Real, Borussia Dortmund boss Matthias Sammer confessed his concern that his young troops may secretly feel that they are not quite in the same league as their megastar opponents.
The fiery tactician suggested that this troubling inferiority complex was at the root of his side's 1-0 loss at home to Milan last matchday. "We really seemed a little awe-struck, even shook hands politely, and, I got the feeling that if they had asked, we´d have done up their boot laces for them," said Sammer in a thinly-veiled attempt to fire his players up.
Somewhat ironically, when pressed on whether he would send his boys out to attack or instruct them to play it safe in light of Real's unrivaled offensive prowess, Sammer admitted that he would opt for the more conservative strategy.
"Bayern Munich have shown how it should be done on numerous occasions. They played it tight and counter-attacked from deep," he explained. I hope that we can do something similar."
FORMGUIDE
Madrid - last Six Matches (all comps): DDLDWL
During the embarrassing 1-0 defeat against Osasuna on Sunday in El Sadar, Madrid looked completely subdued as their passing game misfired and their strikeforce of Ronaldo and Raul looked a long way from gelling. Three consecutive draws in the league before the 4-1 against Betis two weeks ago saw them fail to overhaul Real Sociedad at the top and to add insult to injury, they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Mallorca.
Dortmund – last 6 matches (all comps): LWLWLW
Inconsistency has plagued the German champions all season and is the reason why they are a daunting eight points behind league-leading Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga standings. As is so often the case with young sides, Dortmund can look like world-beaters one week and completely clueless the next. That was certainly the case in the weeks leading up to this game, as the Yellow-and-Blacks barely put up a fight during a 1-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart but then followed that lackluster performance with a scintillating 4-1 victory over VfL Bochum. Which Borussia will show up in Madrid is anybody's guess.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid: Del Bosque is set to name the same side that lost to Osasuna, with Francisco Pavon again replacing the injured Fernando Hierro in defence.
All of Borussia's stars made the trip to the Spanish capital with the exception of the long-term injured Otto Addo and Juan Ramon Fernandez. There were rumours that Tomis Rosicky would be missing out after he sat out training on Monday but BVB doctor Dr Georg Sondern called the Czech sensation's absence from practice "a mere precaution" as a result of the slight knock he suffered against Bochum on the weekend.
Sammer is expected to opt for a four-man backline, as opposed to his preferred three-in-the-back system, in order to better cope with Real's blockbuster attack. Ever-reliable French defender Ahmed Madouni will be the man inserted into the lineup to add some extra steel.
LOOK OUT FOR
Real Madrid – Raul Gonzales: The Spanish international's incredible eye for goal has made him the country's all-time top goalscorer and he is equally impressive at club level where he consistently hits the target.
Borussia Dortmund – Christoph Metzelder: The towering 22-year-old was chastised in the media for his woeful performance during the Nationalmannschaft's friendly loss against Spain last week. Metzelder, will be determined to prove that he is still one of the most talented young defenders in European football by producing a much-improved performance during his prompt return to Spain. Sammer, for one, has no doubt about Metzelder's ability, especially after he performed so admirably when asked to play out of position in his next game back against Bochum on the weekend.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Madrid: (4-4-2) Casillas, Salgado, Helguera, Pavon, Roberto Carlos, Makelele, Flavio, Zidane, Figo, Raul, Ronaldo .
Dortmund: (4-3-3) Lehmann - Metzelder, Madouni, Wörns, Dede - Reuter, Rosicky, Frings - Ewerthon, Koller, Reina.