MX23RW : Thursday, May 16 10:38:21| >> :60:506:506:

Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid

Sports Mole previews the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in Germany.

Borussia Dortmund will hope to secure a first-leg advantage when they welcome Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday.

The German outfit needed two late goals to overcome Malaga in the previous round, while Madrid survived a second-leg comeback from Galatasaray to book their spot in the final four of the competition.

The two sides were paired in the group stages of the Champions League this season, with Dortmund winning the home match 2-1 before gaining a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu in the beginning of November.

If that pattern of results follows this time around, then Dortmund would advance to the final at Wembley where they would face either Bayern Munich or Barcelona, who clash on Tuesday.

Both teams have been second best in their domestic campaigns this season, however, with Dortmund trailing Bayern by 20 points in the Bundesliga table, while Madrid sit 13 behind Barcelona in La Liga.

The home side have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the match, although one from Mats Hummels, Felipe Santana and Neven Subotic will miss out in central defence. Nuri Sahin is also expected to gain a start, with Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus forming the attacking pair.

Madrid, meanwhile, have injury concerns over Luka Modric and Marcelo, who both limped out of their 3-1 win over Real Betis in La Liga at the weekend.

Alvaro Arbeloa is also struggling, but Fabio Coentrao should be fit to start. Diego Lopez is once more expected to be given the nod ahead of Iker Casillas between the sticks, while Karim Benzema should also start up front.

Recent form:

Dortmund: DWWWW
Madrid: WWLWW

Possible lineups:

Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Hummels, Santana, Schmelzer; Blaszczykowski, Gotze, Gundogan, Sahin; Reus, Lewandowski

Madrid: Lopez; Arbeloa; Ramos, Varane, Coentrao; Ozil, Alonso, Khedira; Ronaldo, Benzema, Di Maria

Sports Mole says: 2-2


ID:80886: cacheID:80886:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4946:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema celebrate on November 17, 2012
Read Next:
Report: Benzema to start for Madrid
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CReal Madrid36296183226193
2Barcelona35237572432976
3GironaGirona36236775453075
4Atletico MadridAtletico36234967392873
5Athletic Bilbao361711858372162
6Real BetisBetis35141384641555
7Real Sociedad351412948371154
8Villarreal36149136060051
9Valencia35139133739-248
10Getafe361013134151-1043
11AlavesAlaves36119163445-1142
12Sevilla361011154750-341
13Osasuna36118174054-1441
14Rayo Vallecano36814142944-1538
15Celta Vigo36910174254-1237
16Las PalmasLas Palmas35107183044-1437
17Mallorca36715142941-1236
18CadizCadiz36614162549-2432
RGranada3649233770-3321
RAlmeria35211223570-3517


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!