Madrid: A lot will be at stake for defending champions Real Madrid when they host Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu here Wednesday. The match will go a long way in deciding who will top Group F and face a prospective easier opponent in the knockout stages.
A draw will be sufficient for the German side who currently lead the group with 13 points from five games. Real Madrid on the other hand, have 11 from the same number of matches and so they will definitely try to go all out for victory in front of home supporters. The away encounter for Real had ended 2-2 with Andre Schurrle getting a vital equaliser for Dortmund in the 87th minute.
The German side showed in the last game that they have the pace to disturb the Real Madrid defenders where the most experienced Sergio Ramos have not been in the best of forms. Dortmund attackers Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubam-eyan operate with great speed and they will definitely try and cause some problems for the hosts.
“We’ve learned from our mistakes in the last game,” Real defender Marcelo told reporters here Tuesday. “One has to remember, that we scored twice in the away game which is a pretty impressive feat. This time we will be playing in our own den and we always have the advantage there.”
Coach Zinedine Zidane, however, did not elaborate whether he will go all out for a win to achieve top spot in the group. “Winning is every team’s target and we are not any exception. But then we will not invite them to score by keeping vacant spaces. And I don’t believe that any opponent will be ‘easy’ in the knockouts,” informed Zidane.
However, the side looked quite enthusiastic while training Tuesday with star striker Cristiano Ronaldo spending a lot of time on set pieces. Zidane was the first to admit that the last minute equaliser Sunday against arch rivals Barcelona has buoyed the spirit of the boys. “We are definitely in a very positive frame of mind,” he asserted.
The good news for Real is that Pepe will be back in the back four after recovering from an ankle injury. In spite of a poor show against Barca, striker Karim Benzema will retain his place in the squad in the absence of the injured Gareth Bale. It remains to be seen however, whether Zidane opts for the brilliance of Isco or the solidity of Casemire in the midfield. With Luka Modric in terrific form, chances are that Real will opt for Casemiro.
Dortmund will be coming into the game on the back of a thumping 4-1 victory over Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchedgladbag. But then Real Madrid cannot ever be placed in the same bracket. And with the Spanish giants playing at home a different form of reception certainly awaits the German side when they take the field.
Agencies
