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The defending UEFA Champions League champions will play Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday. The game will be the last group stage match for both sides and the game is set to be an exciting contest as two evenly matched sides take on each other.
Team form
Going into this one, both teams won't be very happy with their form. However, if compared, Real Madrid have surely been better than the German side who are currently placed 6th in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund have surely not been at their best this season, managing to win just 12 of the 30 games they have played till now. Their performance has been shaky right from the start. The Yellow and Blacks have suffered some shocking losses and have played some unexpected draws as well.
Their last win came against Magdeburg in the last week of October and a team of their calibre should probably be doing better. The fans at the Westfalenstadion wouldn't be very pleased by the way their side had played against Schalke, APOEL and RP Leipzig. Dortmund need to work hard and prepare really well if they want to win this very tough clash against Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane's side hasn't been in great form either. Considering the fact that Real won both, the Champions League and the La Liga last year, their performance has not been to their usual standards and the Los Blancos have not showed their actual colours yet.
Their performance in the La Liga has been pretty disappointing as they recently played a draw against Athletic Bilbao and earlier, suffered a shocking loss to newcomers Girona. Real have managed to win just 3 of the last 6 games they've played and would be looking to better their record by winning this one.
Zidane's men will also have to work hard as Dortmund cannot be taken for granted, no matter how their current form is. They're one if the best sides in the world and it won't be easy to get the better of them. The game is definitely set to be a thriller.
Team news
Real Madrid
The Los Blancos' defender Dani Carvajal will miss out for Real Madrid with a suspension. Gareth Bale, who recently made a comeback against Fuenlabrada will not feature, as confirmed by club manager Zinedine Zidane. A start for Marco Asensio is also not confirmed as of now.
Borussia Dortmund
The Dortmund manager Peter Bosz will have to go without few star players. Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Lukasz Piszczek, Jeremy Toljan and Jacob Bruun Larsen will miss out for the German side. The absence of these key players is going to cost Dortmund for sure as they would have wanted a full-strength side against a team like Real.
Stats and impact of the win on both sides
Since 1998, the two sides have played each other 14 times. Out of those 14, Real Madrid won 6, while Dortmund won 3. The rest ended as draws. Real have also got the better of Dortmund in the goalscoring department scoring 26 goals in these 14 meetings, 9 more than Dortmund's 17.
The last time the two sides met each other, in the first leg of the group stage matches this season, Zidane's men defeated Dortmund 3-1. Playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, Dortmund have never defeated Real, while the Los Blancos have defeated Dortmund 4 times. If statistics are to be believed, Real should win this one at home without much difficulty. Dortmund will need to make some plan and strategies to get all three points from this crucial encounter.
Tottenham's win over Dortmund on the last matchday ensured Spurs' first position in Group H. A win for Real Madrid would keep them at the 2nd position in the group, behind Tottenham Hotspurs. However, the match is very crucial for Dortmund as a loss against Real would mean that they'll have to depend on APOEL's result against Tottenham for a spot in the UEFA Europa League. This is a must win game for Dortmund for a chance to play in the UEL.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-1 Dortmund
The defending UCL champions could go on to defeat Dortmund in this clash as Dortmund have been pretty sloppy in the defence. Ronaldo has been unstoppable in Europe's elite league this season and the way Dortmund have been playing, it seems that Real will get the better of Peter Bosz's side.
