Now this is what the Champions League should be about. After much criticism of the new format this season, what a treat to see last season’s finalists brought together for a rematch. Real Madrid won the June clash at Wembley 2-0, but Borussia Dortmund were excellent for long periods.
Madrid seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to this particular competition. That being said, the last time the hosts were in European action, they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Lille so perhaps the magic is beginning to wear off. Madrid recovered from that loss with a couple domestic wins that seem to have steadied the ship and currently sit second in the La Liga table, trailing rivals Barcelona by just three points.
For the visitors, the Champions League has been where they’ve produced their best stuff thus far this term with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge along with the 7-1 destruction of Celtic. In the league, though, consistency has been hard to come by, and Dortmund are seventh in the table after seven matches. They have lost their last two away games in the league and only just about managed to scrape past St. Pauli on the weekend.
Both sides will be missing key men in perhaps the most eagerly anticipated of all the midweek clashes. Carlo Ancelotti will have to do without the services of David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz. The German side have Karim Adeyemi, Gio Reyna and Julien Duranville sidelined while Yan Couto is also a major doubt.
Madrid’s 17-month unbeaten run in the Champions League may now be over, but their fans can comfort themselves with the fact that they have still not been beaten at home in the competition since way back in April 2022. Somewhat surprisingly, though, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five European games at the Bernabeu.
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Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund odds
Odds from BetFair updated as of 10 p.m. BST Monday.
- Madrid win: 2/5
- Draw: 4/1
- Dortmund win: 11/2
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid
Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET), Tuesday
Streaming: Fubo (US only, try for free)
Form guide (all competitions)
Real Madrid: W-W-L-D-W
Dortmund: W-L-W-W-L
Match prediction
Real Madrid 3-1 Dortmund
Dortmund’s record at the Bernabeu is second to most. On seven trips to the ground, the German team have lost five and drawn the other two. No team has ever failed to win in their first eight trips to a Champions League opponent’s ground, but Madrid will surely bounce back from their defeat last time out in this competition. Expect Dortmund to come away with that unwanted record and Madrid to manage a comfortable win.
(Photo of Vinicius Junior: Florencia Tan Jun / Getty Images)
