Four wins in four at home against Real Madrid will be the target for Borussia Dortmund when the two European giants meet in a Group F match of the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday. The two sides know each other well, having met in three of the last five seasons, and it is Dortmund who have the upper hand in terms of playing at the Westfalenstadion, where they have won all of their last three matches against the defending champions.
The fact that Dortmund made the much better start to their Champions League campaign when compared with Real Madrid – the German side beat Legia Warsaw 6-0, while Real only topped Sporting Lisbon through two late goals -- also bodes well for Thomas Tuchel's men, who have been sublime at home, going unbeaten in their last 24 matches.
"At the moment this team is radiating a real positive energy that will help them focus on the task at hand and play as a unit at a high level," Dortmund manager Tuchel, whose side beat Freiburg 3-1 on Friday, said.
Tuchel, though, knows, as good as Dortmund's form at home might be, this will be a different challenge. Apart from, maybe, Bayern Munich, no attack in the Bundesliga will even come close to Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata.
"We have analysed their recent games in terms of how they have been playing," Tuchel added. "Of course we recognise the quality of Real Madrid – the likes of Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema are of the highest quality there is.
"Madrid are maybe the biggest name in world football, so there will be an incredible atmosphere in the stadium."
The stadium will also know that Real Madrid are coming into this match on the back of two draws in the La Liga. Their perfect start to the campaign ended when they were held by Villarreal a week ago, before the 2-2 draw at Las Palmas saw their lead at the top of the table whittled down to just one point.
Real Madrid are not firing on all cylinders at the moment, and it will be up to Borussia Dortmund to take advantage. They certainly have the attack to do that, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the main man. The Gabon international, who scored in the 6-0 win over Legia Warsaw on matchday one, will be extra motivated to perform against Real Madrid, considering the Spanish side are the club he has aspired to join for a while now.
However, Real Madrid have the penchant of stepping up in Europe, and form or no form, Dortmund will need to be tactical and clinical to get the better of Zinedine Zidane's men.
Where to Watch Live
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid is set to begin at 8.45pm local time (7.45pm BST, 2.45pm ET, 12.15 am IST next day). Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Ten 2. Live Streaming: Ten Sports live.
UK: TV: BT Sport.
Germany: TV: Sky Sport 1 and SRF. Live Streaming: Sky Go Germany.
Spain: TV: TV3 and Antena 3.
USA: TV: Fox Sports 1. Live Streaming: Foxsoccer2go.
Middle East, Canada, Australia, France, Indonesia, North Africa, Philippines: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
