A first leg rout at the hands of Dortmund was unexpected
Heading into tonight's pivotal second leg fixture against Borussia Dortmund one thing is certain: Real Madrid will have to be at it's absolute best to overturn a 4-1 deficit from the first leg in Germany. In fact, Madrid had no answer for Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski who scored four times and destroyed the centre-back pairing of Pepe and Rafael Varane time after time.
Needing a 3-0 to win outright or a 4-1 result of their own to send the game into extra time, few pundits have given Real Madrid a chance against a Dortmund side which they have failed to beat on three different occasions throughout this year's Champions League. The circumstances however are completely different in this final game. With their backs against the wall and facing a real sense of urgency, Real Madrid will attack Dortmund in force and with the attacking prowess they possess, managing a large amount of goals against a Dortmund side who may feel comfortable with their lead is not out of the question at all.
After serving a red card suspension in the first leg, Alvaro Arbeloa will likely be back for Madrid at his preferred right-back place. The change will cause Sergio Ramos to slot back in at centre-back to pair up with Varane. Portuguese international Pepe will likely start the game on the bench after struggling to contain Lewandowski in the first leg. While Mesut Ozil started the last game on the wing, expect him to go back to his central midfield role while Angel Di Maria should come back into the starting 11 on the wing. Croatian midfielder Luka Modric who started the first leg will likely have to settle for a place on substitute's bench.
While the Portuguese star netted a goal in Germany after a terrible giveaway by Mats Hummels, he was often marked out of the match and unable to make his usual impact. Reports after the game stated Ronaldo may be battling a bit of a thigh injury and was kept out of the Madrid Derby this past weekend. Having been deemed fit to go, the talismanic Madrid star will need to be at his goal scoring best to overturn the tie in his team's favour and considering his Champions League form it may not be out of the realm of possibility that he equals Lewandowski's first leg performance. Any Madrid hopes of reaching the Champions League final depend on it.
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