Real Madrid vs. Dortmund: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for UCL

Their qualification for the knockout stages of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League may be secured, but Real Madrid will view Wednesday's meeting with Borussia Dortmund as a chance to find some much-needed form.

Los Blancos will finish as runners-up in Group H behind Tottenham Hotspur, with Dortmund eight points back on the holders.

The German side occupy third spot and would move into the UEFA Europa League with victory. However, a win at the Santiago Bernabeu is a big ask for a side that are in a torrid spell. Dortmund could still advance to the second-tier tournament with a loss, depending on Tottenham's result against APOEL.

There may not be too much on it, but both sides will view this as a chance to rediscover some confidence. Here are the key viewing details for the game, the latest team news and a look at how this one will play out.

Date: Wednesday, December 6

Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT), 2:45 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: BT Sport (UK), FOX Sports 1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), FOX Sports Go (U.S.)

Team News

Real Madrid: Manager Zinedine Zidane will most likely use this contest to give some players on the fringes of the first team a chance to impress. After making his comeback from injury against Fuenlabrada recently, Gareth Bale may feature, but Dani Carvajal is suspended.

Likely XI: Kiko Casilla; Achraf Hakimi, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Theo Hernandez; Dani Ceballos, Casemiro, Isco; Lucas Vazquez, Borja Mayoral, Gareth Bale

Borussia Dortmund: The loss to Spurs last time out ensured any hopes of qualification were gone for Dortmund, and manager Peter Bosz will likely make a raft of changes too. Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Lukasz Piszczek are among a number of key absentees.

Likely XI: Roman Weidenfeller; Marc Bartra, Omer Toprak, Marcel Schmelzer; Christian Pulisic, Julian Weigl, Mahmoud Dahoud, Shinji Kagawa, Raphael Guerreiro; Andriy Yarmolenko, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Preview

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

Real Madrid's recent form has been a concern to the club's supporters, and there will be an expectation here—dead rubber or not—to find a way to win against the Bundesliga side.

While manager Zinedine Zidane has more than enough credit in the bank in his near two years in charge after winning back-to-back Champions League titles, there are some questions beginning to be asked of the Frenchman.

After their draw against Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey, Real were nullified by Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Saturday. As noted by AFP's Kieran Canning, the contest was pretty dull:

That's not a criticism that could previously be levelled at Madrid under Zidane, as they have typically controlled midfield with elegance and used their attacking class to eventually get by in matches.

One man they've missed during their recent struggles is Bale, and Madridistas will hope to see him involved here. The Welshman sat out the clash on Saturday after returning in the Copa and will surely be keen to step up his recovery with some minutes against BVB.

As noted by Marca, in Bale's absence, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have struggled to link up:

Madrid's issues are nothing compared to those being endured by Dortmund, though, as they have wasted a strong start to the campaign with their horrendous recent form.

The only win in their last 10 matches came against Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal on October 24, and they let a four-goal lead slip against bitter rivals Schalke 04 to draw 4-4 on November 25. They have yet to win any Champions League game, with their two points coming from two draws with APOEL.

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As a result, Bosz finds himself under major pressure having only taken the job in the summer. However, as noted by DW Sports, sporting director Michael Zorc has insisted there's still full faith in the coach:

With both sides poised to make a lot of changes for this game, it's unlikely to live up to previous classic encounters between the two teams.

The Santiago Bernabeu will likely provide a low-key backdrop to the fixture and the play may be passive as a result. However, with Dortmund finding things so difficult at the moment, Madrid should have more than enough to emerge victorious from this one.

Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Borussia Dortmund