After a few weeks' break, the UEFA Champions League returns to the bright television screens. The second round in groups E-H starts on Tuesday.
Perhaps the most interesting match should take place at the "Signal Iduna Park" stadium, where two well-acquainted clubs, Dortmund's "Borussia" and Madrid's "Real," will meet. Both teams have experienced painful defeats in their previous encounters, so today an intriguing battle is predicted.
Sporting Form
Both clubs should not complain about their sporting form, but Zinedine Zidane's protégés have entered a winning streak. "Die Schwarzen Gelben" not only celebrate victory after victory but also bombard their opponents with attacks and goals.
The 12-point "Borussia" club is ranked second in the Bundesliga standings. In their last matches, which took place on Friday, Dortmund's team defeated "Freiburg" at home with a score of 3-1. Before that, "Borussia" had celebrated wins such as 5-1 against "Wolfsburg" or 6-0 against "Darmstadt" and Warsaw's "Legia".
Madrid's "Real" club is at the top of La Liga standings, but their advantage over the closest opponents has decreased to just one point. Last week, "Real" ended their winning streak by playing a draw with "Villarreal" and was also held to a draw against "Las Palmas" on Saturday.
Meanwhile, both teams started the Champions League with wins. "Borussia" crushed the Polish team with a score of 0-6, while "Real" only secured a victory in the final minutes with a score of 2-1 against Lisbon's "Sporting".
Team News
Both teams have injuries, but Z. Zidane's team has suffered more. Two key players of the "White" team, Marcelo and Casemiro, will not be able to play in Germany. Meanwhile, "Borussia" will have to do without Erik Durm and Marco Reus.
We should not expect major surprises in the starting line-ups, especially when it comes to "Borussia". The Spanish press states that there should be no surprises in Madrid's starting eleven, but it is still unknown who will replace Marcelo. Nacho played in the Brazilian's position over the weekend, and Danilo can also play there, while Fabio Coentrao was included in the squad for the first time.
Projected "Borussia" starting lineup: Roman Burki; Lukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Marc Bartra, Marcel Schmelzer; Gonzalo Castro, Julian Weigl; Raphael Guerreiro, Mario Gotze, Ousmane Dembele; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Projected "Real" starting lineup: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Danilo; Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Isco; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Coaches' Thoughts
Borussia Dortmund's coach Thomas Tuchel: "We have certainly analyzed Real's gameplay. It must be admitted that their team is of the highest class. They have players like Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema. Real is perhaps the biggest club in the world, so an exceptional atmosphere awaits us at the stadium.
It's easy to say that Cristiano Ronaldo is not in good form, but is that true? The forward is one of the best players in the world, with a winner's mentality. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most important players in this team. During important matches, the best players tend to shine, so we expect to see him play his best football.
Real Madrid's coach Zinedine Zidane: We go onto the field with the same goal every time. We always have the same goal - to go out and win. We know very well who we will have to play against, but we are Real and we always go onto the field to win.
Should I consider changes in the game? I don't think so. What happened in the last two matches should have no impact on this match. Every match is different. It will be an exceptionally difficult 90 minutes, during which we will try to play our game. I hope it will be a great match."
Head-to-Head Matches
The last time these two teams clashed in the UEFA Champions League was in the quarterfinals. In the 2013-14 season, when Real became the tournament's winners, the first quarterfinal match in Madrid ended with a crushing 3-0 victory for the hosts. However, in the return leg, Dortmund's team secured victory with a 2-0 scoreline and narrowly missed an equalizer.
The Dortmund stadium does not bring back the best memories for the Madrid club. In the first leg of the 2012-13 Champions League semi-final, Robert Lewandowski scored a 'poker,' winning 4-1 for Borussia. However, in the return leg, Real defeated their opponents with a 2-0 scoreline and came close to reaching the final.
In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, Dortmund has won three times, Real four times, and three matches ended in draws. Dortmund's team scored 12 goals, while Real scored 14 goals.
Last five head-to-head matches:
"Borussia" 2 - 0 "Real Madrid" (2014) "Real Madrid" 3 - 0 "Borussia" (2014) "Real Madrid" 2 - 0 "Borussia" (2013) "Borussia" 4 - 1 "Real Madrid" (2013) "Real Madrid" 2 - 2 "Borussia" (2012)
Prediction
The match is highly unpredictable, but "Borussia" has more chances to achieve a positive result. There is no need to talk about the atmosphere in this stadium anymore. Real Madrid's club faces a tough 90 minutes, so they should be satisfied with a draw as well.
However, Dortmund's team is currently in great form, and considering Real's defense and the painful loss in the backline, one can expect a 3-2 win for the hosts.
Aivaras Katutis, eurofootball.lt
