What: Champions League Semi-final (Second leg)
Who: Real Madrid (1) vs Borussia Dortmund (4) (First leg score in brackets)
When: Tuesday 30th April, 2013, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Fan Support
By the time Howard Webb has blown his whistle calling an end to this game, Real Madrid could very well be on their way out of the Champions League for the third consecutive season at this stage. Trailing 4-1 after being dismantled at the Westfalenstadion by Borussia Dortmund last week, Real Madrid will need to play the game of their lives, and outscore their opponents by at least three goals should they want to make it to the final at Wembley in London on 25th May.
Borussia Dortmund proved to be too fast and too powerful last week for Los Blancos, who were punished by Robert Lewandowski’s four well-taken goals. At home, there is no doubt that Jose Mourinho’s men will want to assault their opponents’ goal from the first minute and midfielder Sami Khedira believes that the fans’ support will be crucial, as they prepare for a miracle.
“They will support us 100% from the kick-off with total conviction, as they always do. This is our last chance to get things right again. In the first leg we didn’t convince as a team and we played a weak game. Now we have to achieve the impossible”, the German said.
Emotion is running high in Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo missed the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid and is a doubt. Without their talismanic forward, any hopes of resurrection for the side will be dealt a heavy blow.
Finish The Job
Borussia Dortmund would always have the mental advantage over Real Madrid on home soil. However, few would have imagined Jurgen Klopp’s side dominating Los Blancos so completely. The Black Yellows are 90 minutes away from a potential all-German final between Bayern Munich and themselves with the latest betting odds of 1/5 (source) suggesting that Borussia Dortmund have all but done enough, but realise very well that they could pay the price should they take a backseat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The visiting side will have to be prepared for all possibilities, according to midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski. “It's the biggest game in the recent history of this team and for most of us. We took one step on Wednesday, but on Tuesday we must take the next one. We have great respect for Madrid, but we are also aware of our quality. We have to give our all on the field. At the Bernabeu anything can happen, but we are prepared for war”, concluded the Pole.
The 1997 Champions League winners will be buoyed by the fact that they are undefeated in their last eleven games in the competition, and that they have scored at least twice in their last three games against the Spanish champions. A 3-0 scoreline would see Real Madrid advance on the away-goal rule, however the task will only get harder should the Germans manage a goal themselves.
Recent form
Real Madrid:
Real Madrid 3-1 Real Betis (20/04; La Liga)
Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Real Madrid (24/04; Champions League)
Atletico Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid (27/04; La Liga)
Borussia Dortmund:
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Mainz 05 (20/04; Bundesliga)
Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Real Madrid (24/04; Champions League)
Fortuna Dusseldorf 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (27/04; Bundesliga)
Key absences
Real Madrid: Marcelo; Cristiano Ronaldo (doubt); Alvaro Arbeloa (doubt)
Borussia Dortmund: Mustafa Amini; Patrick Owomoyela; Lukasz Piszczek (doubt)
Players to watch
Real Madrid – Angel di Maria: The Argentine was largely influential in the Derbi Madrileno against Atletico Madrid, having a hand in both goals. Should Ronaldo miss this one, his side will look to Di Maria to provide threat on the flanks. He holds an important challenge ahead of him.
Borussia Dortmund – Robert Lewandowski: Alongside Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie, the Poland striker is arguably the most lethal marksman in the world. Always lively, he found space to manoeuvre when facing Pepe and Raphael Varane last week. He will need to be harshly dealt with this time around should Real Madrid want to advance.
Match Predicition
In front of their own crowd, Real Madrid will want to impose themselves and hope for a modern-day miracle. With everything to play for, it is times like these where the Merengues show their true colours, but even that could be insignificant given the large deficit. Expect a Real Madrid win, but one that will be insufficient to grant them qualification.
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