What: Champions League – Quarter-final first leg
Who: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
When: Wednesday 2nd April, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

Revenge

The first thing that will come into the minds of the Real Madrid players and fans when they meet Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night is revenge, as Los Blancos suffered a humiliating defeat to the same side last season in the Champions League semi-final in Germany, while a 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu was insufficient to allow them passage on aggregate. With a new coach and a new mentality, the nine-time competition winners will be hoping they will be able to cast away their German jinx and qualify to the next round for the fourth consecutive year.

Whatever momentum Real Madrid had going into this one was halted with successive fixtures in La Liga against Barcelona and Sevilla, even though the team came back with a bang in their last match against Rayo Vallecano. Realising that the only way to go forward is to get back on the winning track, Karim Benzema has urged his team-mates to do everything in their power to dispatch last edition’s finalists.

“We have not forgotten what happened last season, but now we have a new team with a new mindset. They have the same core of players, but several of them are injured. Let's give it our all to pass this round", declared the in-form striker. 

Not The Same

Few teams around Europe entertain fans the way Borussia Dortmund do, with the side’s fairy tale journey in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League being well-known. This season, Jurgen Klopp’s men are not the same they used to be 12 months ago, but will still be able to trouble their opponents should Los Merengues be suffering from their recent defeats. Knowing that the Whites usually put on a poor showing in Germany, it is up to the visitors to earn a good result at the Santiago Bernabeu to lay the foundations.

Borussia Dortmund made Real Madrid look foolish when the two sides met in the Champions League last season, but Sebastian Kehl believes that he and his team will be facing a very different cohort of players than the ones they tussled with last term, believing that they cannot afford to grant Real Madrid the luxury of earning momentum. 

“We must not allow Madrid to gather pace. That happened against Schalke, who lost 6-1 [in the first leg]. Once it starts, the Real Madrid locomotive can easily overwhelm us”, commented the skipper. “We need to hold them in their area, where they are vulnerable. We have to bother them there, and create many occasions with our quick transition game and make use of opportunities without mercy."
 

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Recent form

Real Madrid:
Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (23/03; La Liga)
Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid (26/03; La Liga)
Real Madrid 5-0 Rayo Vallecano (29/03; La Liga)

Borussia Dortmund:
Hannover 0-3 Borussia Dortmund (22/03; Bundesliga)
Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Schalke (25/03; Bundesliga)
Stuttgart 2-3 Borussia Dortmund (29/03; Bundesliga)

Key absences

Real Madrid: Jese; Alvaro Arbeloa; Sami Khedira; Marcelo

Borussia Dortmund: Zlatan Alomerovic; Marcel Schmelzer; Sven Bender; Jakub Blaszczykowski; Neven Subotic; Ilkay Gundogan; Jannik Bandowski; Robert Lewandowski (suspended)
 

Players to watch

Real Madrid – Iker Casillas: Voices to reinstate the team captain have been raised recently as Diego Lopez’s form came under scrutiny against Barcelona and Sevilla. While it looks unlikely that Carlo Ancelotti will make him permanent first-choice in La Liga this season, a solid display against the Germans can only help his cause.

Borussia Dortmund – Mats Hummels: The Germany international will be under a lot of pressure as he will face the “BBC” connection of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu. Should he keep Real Madrid at bay on the night, he will have a much easier task on his hands at the Westfalenstadion.

Match Prediction

Real Madrid realise that the margin for error is slim after damaging losses in the league. In the Champions League, their numbers have been amidst the best this season, and they will have to get a great result in order to avoid their usual setbacks on German soil. Borussia Dortmund are depleted of some of their best players – including a certain Lewandowski – and now is certainly the best occasion for the home side to strike. Real Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund.

Betting on Real Madrid v Dortmund? Make sure you visit Inside Bet first!
 

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