Dortmund's season at stake in Real clash

Anything but victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday will mean Borussia Dortmund's season has been a failure.

The German champions started the campaign full of hope after emerging in style from the lean spell that followed their 1997 Champions League triumph.

But they have crashed out of the German Cup, trail leaders Bayern Munich by 10 points in the Bundesliga and will stand only an outside chance of reaching the knock-out stages of European club soccer's premier event if they do not beat the title holders.

"We have to win, and not only because our future depends on it," said Dortmund commercial manager Michael Meier. "We have a chance to show where we stand and to demonstrate how strong the level of the Bundesliga is."

Dortmund put up a brave fight in their 2-1 defeat to Real in Madrid last week and will this time be cheered on by 55,000 faithful supporters in their Westfalen stadium.

"With the fans on our side we can beat them this time," said Germany defender Christoph Metzelder. "We saw in Madrid that they can be beaten."

Dortmund are second from bottom in Group C on three points, one less than second-placed Real. AC Milan lead the group with a maximum nine points from three games.

Midfielder Torsten Frings said he had a plan.

"We must take more risks in attack and create more chances, but we also have to be careful not to allow them too much space," he said.

Dortmund will also have to show more discipline than in Saturday's ill-tempered 2-2 draw with Ruhr Valley rivals Schalke 04, in which goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off after a heated exchange with team mate Marcio Amoroso.

But club president Gerd Niebaum said he was reasonably confident that Dortmund could win and leave Real, the strongest side in the competition on paper, in great danger of elimination.

"We are clearly the outsiders but we have shown in the past that such a role suits us," he said, recalling Dortmund's surprise 3-1 victory over Juventus in the 1997 final.