26.09.2017 » What can Madridistas expect against Borussia Dortmund?
After starting their UEFA Champions League defence with an easy 3-0 win against minnows APOEL Nicosia, a game in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his return to action, Los Blancos now head to Germany to face a very in-form Borussia Dortmund, for what could easily be the hardest clash of Group H. Can Zinedine Zidane mastermind an important win at the Signal Iduna Park? Or will domestic wobbles follow the club into European competition? In their last 6 matches in all competitions, Real Madrid won three, tied two and lost one...
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Dortmund determined to bounce back
The trip to Dortmund is perhaps even more difficult given that Borussia lost their opening game of the group phase in an entertaining 3-1 loss to English side Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Peter Bosz side have responded well, however, registering three straight wins in the Bundesliga, scoring 14 times and conceding just once in the process.
This current incarnation of the BVB might not pose the same quality as the sides that registered positive home results against Real Madrid in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In fact, many would argue that there has even been a slight drop off in quality since last season’s 2-2 head-to-head encounters. However, with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Maximilian Philipp scoring goals for fun, there's no doubt that the partizan German crowd will be confident about spurring their side onto success. Still, the UEFA Champions League holders have no reason to enter this game with fear...
Ronaldo hunting UCL Golden Boot
Having finished as the competition's top scorer in each of the last five seasons, albeit shared with Neymar and Lionel Messi in 2014-15, the world's greatest No.7 already appears to be one of the top candidates for the Golden Boot once more. Ronaldo is the 3/1 favourite...
The Portuguese superstar will be desperate to increase his seasonal tally of two in one Champions League appearance on Tuesday night too, especially as suspension has stopped him from opening his La Liga account for 2017-18. At 32, questions regarding the inevitable decline are already starting to circulate, and a big performance here would go a long way to proving those doubters wrong.
Following another nervy afternoon at Alaves on Saturday, a big result in Dortmund could be the catalyst to get the campaign back on track too.
Madrid to control midfield battle
With the likes of Marcelo and Karim Benzema nursing injuries, Zidane certainly faces headaches in key areas of the pitch. Generally speaking, the squad is more than a little thin right now. However, the return of Luka Modric (after being rested) and Toni Kroos (following a minor rib injury), should give the visitors a great chance of dominating the key battles in midfield.
Spanish duo Isco and Marcos Asensio add further quality to the Madrid midfield, with Sport360.com picking out both players as key men in the weekend win over Alaves. While Dortmund certainly have quality in those areas, it is one part of the pitch where they are outclassed by Madrid.
Zidane will have seen the way that Tottenham hit Dortmund on the counter to great effect and, with the hosts needing a positive result, that could be a winning blueprint for Cristiano and co. to power their way to victory. If they do, a place in the last-16 will look virtually assured even after two matches.
Hala Madrid!
Cristiano Ronaldo next game is for Real Madrid on September 26 of 2017 against Borussia Dortmund. You can watch Juventus live stream, Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid, Sporting vs Barça, Man City vs Shakhtar Donetsk, APOEL vs Tottenham, and Spartak Moscow vs Liverpool, all matches provided from our football streaming game pages.
Real Madrid next game:
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid kick-off time (26-09-2017):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 01:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:15
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / bbc.co.uk / sport360.com
