Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid: Last-Second Predictions for Second Leg
Borussia Dortmund have an uphill task when they welcome Real Madrid to Signal Iduna Park in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final Tuesday night, with the prospect of progression highly unlikely for the German side.
Dortmund go into the tie 3-0 down from the first leg after Real took them apart in a comprehensive victory at the Santiago Bernabeu last Wednesday. That win was the biggest of any in this year's quarter-final stage, according to BBC Sport, and means Dortmund kick off tonight with the odds stacked against them.
Real Madrid have won a Champions League first leg 3-0 eight times and have never failed to make it through to the next round after doing so, per Sky Sports. However, Dortmund have home advantage; with the "Yellow Wall" behind them, all is not lost.
With that in mind, here are some last-minute predictions ahead of tonight's clash.
Lewandowski to star
Dortmund welcome back Robert Lewandowski with the striker returning from suspension to take his place in Jurgen Klopp's line-up, via BBC Sport. His name will be a welcome addition to the team sheet after so many absentees for Dortmund this year.
Klopp has seen his squad decimated by injury with key men such as Neven Subotic and Jakub Blaszczykowski out with long-term problems. Any player who returns to availability is a bonus for the larger-than-life manager.
But Lewandowski is not just any player. He has six Champions League goals already this season, per WhoScored.com, and his firepower will be essential if Dortmund are to break down the Madrid defence.
With the Pole moving to Bayern Munich next season, he will not want his legacy at Dortmund to be a limp capitulation in the quarter-finals.
Madrid will score
Many teams with a 3-0 cushion would opt to park the proverbial bus away from home, but you can expect Real to score Tuesday night. With 32 goals already, they are the leading scorers in this season's Champions League and sit just three shy of the record they already share with archrivals Barcelona, via SkySports.
Real securing an away goal would make Dortmund's task even more difficult, so Klopp's men must be extremely careful to keep things tight at the back. That will not be easy, though, as they also have to keep an attacking mentality if they are to have any hope of scoring the four goals—at least—they need.
Bale must step up
The one glimmer of hope for Dortmund comes in the form of an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo. The Madrid talisman is a doubt for tonight's game with a knee problem, per Kris Voakes of Goal.com, meaning Real will be without their most prolific attacker on a night when an away goal would effectively seal the tie for them.
Attention will therefore turn to world-record signing Gareth Bale, who has already banged in five Champions League goals this season, via WhoScored.
While the Santiago Bernabeu will continue to dance to Ronaldo's tune for years to come, Bale can cement his place in the Madrid faithful's hearts if he leads the team to the last four in the Portuguese's absence.
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