Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid - Real Madrid seek change of fortune but Dortmund have high hopes

Posted Monday, September 26, 2016 by PA

Real Madrid will be hoping a change of competition will lead to a change of fortune as Zinedine Zidane's stuttering side take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Madrid started the season in style, extending their winning run in LaLiga from last term to a club-record 16 successive wins as well as lifting the UEFA Super Cup and beating Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League opener.

However, the European champions have not seen things go so smoothly in recent weeks.

They needed two goals right at the death to turn defeat into victory against Sporting at the Bernabeu, were held 1-1 at home by Villarreal last Wednesday and then dropped two more points at newly-promoted Las Palmas at the weekend.

Madrid twice failed to hold on to leads in their latest match and saw their advantage at the top of LaLiga slashed to one point as a result.

Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo also looked far from impressed at being substituted with 18 minutes to go in Gran Canaria, but he and Madrid will now be hoping to take any frustrations out on Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

Former Dortmund defender Jurgen Kohler does not believe that will happen, though. He has warned Madrid - who have won only four times in 29 matches away to German sides down the years - they should brace themselves to return to Spain empty-handed.

"Real aren't in the best of shape right now and they've had a few problems in the league, and it's quite normal for Real to struggle early on in the season," Kohler told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"They've played two draws in a row and are only one point ahead of Barcelona, who have also not come out of the starting blocks very well, so for me it's quite clear that Real cannot expect to get too much in Dortmund."

Dortmund have made an impressive start to their own campaign, scoring 20 goals in their last four games - including a 6-0 away mauling of Legia Warsaw in their opening Champions League Group F match.

Kohler added: "Dortmund are in good form and they play very aggressively. They have players on the bench who give them a lot of pace and can sprint a lot and you need that in football nowadays if you want to be successful."

Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is still missing Marco Reus, Neven Subotic and Erik Durm and is also expected to be without former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra again, with Matthias Ginter deputising at centre-back and Julian Weigl holding things together in front of the defence.

The 21-year-old Weigl said on his club's website: "To be involved in a game like this is what you dream of as a kid.

"When you hear the Champions League anthem, it's a special moment for me and you dream of this as a kid. It's a great feeling."

Madrid boss Zidane has named a 22-man squad for the match, with full-back Fabio Coentrao available for the first time since April after suffering an injury while on loan at Monaco. Brazilian duo Marcelo and Casemiro are absent.