What: UEFA Champions League – Group D
Who: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
When: Tuesday 6th November, 2012, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

Revenge

Real Madrid will have one thing on their mind when they meet Borussia Dortmund for the second time in the space of two weeks, and that is to claim the spoils at the Santiago Bernabeu. It would help Los Blancos retrieve the group’s leadership from the hands of the German league champions, avenging their loss at the Westfalenstadion in the process.

Los Merengues’ 4-0 win against Real Zaragoza last weekend proved to be Jose Mourinho’s 100th with the club, thus making the Portuguese the fastest coach in the team’s history to achieve this milestone. But despite smashing nine goals without reply in their last two league games, Mourinho still believes his side have room for improvement, certainly on the display in Germany: “The important thing is to win and do it calmly, but we have to play better than we did", he said.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno highlighted the importance of this match as it will greatly influence the group’s leadership: “It is a vital game”, said Butragueno.

“We have to aspire to be top of the group because matches in the Round of 16 can be complicated if you did not win the group. We cannot fail in our home games”, concluded the ex-striker.

Not The Best Result

Despite being boosted by their first away win of the 2012/13 Bundesliga season at Freiburg a week ago, Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of a league resurrection hit another brick wall as they drew 0-0 against Stuttgart at the weekend. Now eleven points behind league leaders Bayern Munich – who recorded yet another win – Dortmund’s hopes of retaining the title have struck a low point.

For all made of Real Madrid’s curse on German soil, Dortmund face a real problem themselves heading into this fixture, as the 1997 Champions League winners’ latest away victory in the competition was in 2003 at the San Siro against AC Milan. Jurgen Klopp’s side might have won the reverse fixture in Dortmund, but facing Los Blancos will prove to be a different test now.

However, psychological pressure might be exerted on Real Madrid on the night, with Jose Mourinho’s men clearly second-best when the two last met a fortnight ago, making mistakes that cost them dearly, such as Pepe’s misplaced pass that led to Robert Lewandowski’s opener.

 

Recent form

Real Madrid:
Mallorca 0-5 Real Madrid (28/10; La Liga)
Alcoyano 1-4 Real Madrid (31/10; Copa del Rey)
Real Madrid 4-0 Real Zaragoza (03/11; La Liga)

Borussia Dortmund:
Freiburg 0-2 Borussia Dortmund (27/10; Bundesliga)
Aalen 1-4 Borussia Dortmund (30/10; DFB Pokal)
Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Stuttgart (03/11; Bundesliga)

Key absences

Real Madrid: Marcelo; Fabio Coentrao; Sami Khedira (doubt)

Borussia Dortmund: Sven Bender; Jakub Blaszczykowski; Patrick Owomoyela; Mustafa Amini

Players to watch

Real Madrid – Alvaro Arbeloa: On the big occasion, Michael Essien proved to be inadequate at left back, a matter that quickly turned him into Real Madrid’s weakest link against Dortmund in the last match between these two. Not a left back by nature, Arbeloa is still a full back by trade, and will offer a more reassuring presence.

Borussia Dortmund – Robert Lewandowski: The Polish striker took advantage of some shaky defending by Pepe to open the scoring for his team at the Westfalenstadion, slotting the ball past Iker Casillas from an acute angle. His ability is well publicised and he can further boost his stock here.

Match Prediction

On home soil, Real Madrid are near infallible. They appear to be improving after each match too, while Dortmund have not been performing well on the road. With a confident squad to choose from, Mourinho will go for his 101st win as Real Madrid manager and should get it. Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund.

Visit Inside Bet for free betting tips and previews.