BORUSSIA DORTMUND entertain Real Madrid tonight with the Germans eager to take advantage of their injury-hit Spanish opponents by grabbing top spot in Group D. Germany midfielder Sami Khedira returned to training on Sunday, a rare piece of positive injury news for Jose Mourinho’s Real team who are two points ahead of Dortmund in the group.
Full backs Marcelo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao returned from international duty with problems of varying seriousness, Marcelo being ruled out for about three months with a fractured bone in his foot.
Mourinho deployed midfielder Michael Essien at left back for Saturday’s 2-0 La Liga win at home to Celta Vigo with Sergio Ramos moving to right back and teenager Raphael Varane slotting in alongside Pepe in central defence. Real’s prolific forward Cristiano Ronaldo gashed his knee but is expected to be available for the trip to Germany.
Mourinho will need all the fit bodies he can muster if Dortmund emulate the form they showed in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City earlier this month. City needed a last-gasp equaliser to snatch a point against the Bundesliga champions. Dortmund were defeated 2-1 at home defeat by Schalke 04 on Saturday.
Coach Juergen Klopp should have left-back Marcel Schmelzer and midfielder Ilkay Guendogan back after they missed Saturday’s game along with Jakub Blaszczykowski who will remain sidelined for at least two more months. Playmaker Mario Goetze is also set to return after missing the Ruhr Valley derby.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Kehl, Guendogan, Bender, Reus, Goetze; Lewandowski.
REAL MADRID: Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Varane, Essien; Alonso, Khedira; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
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