Champions League holders Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund with a perfect start in the repeat of last season’s final at Santiago Bernabeu.
RM vs DOR Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2024 / Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Time: 21:00 (CET), 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
RM vs DOR Match Preview
Real Madrid lifted their 15th Champions League crown in June beating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley only to cross paths again three months later in the Spanish capital this time. Despite the success, Los Blancos had to take some hiccups in the title defence this season suffering their first loss in the competition since the 4-0 hammering by Manchester City in April last year.
The 1-0 shock defeat to Lille in their second match of the new League Phase raised a lot of eyebrows with the reigning champions sliding to 17th in the 36-team table in a playoff spot and their 17-match unbeaten run in the contest snapped. The team will wish to return to winning ways in the competition quickly after a 3-1 opening win over Stuttgart and claiming two wins domestically since that loss. The latest came against Celta Vigo this past weekend with fit again Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr scoring in the 2-1 victory. Real Madrid will also relish the record of not losing a Champions League game at Santiago Bernabeu against the Black and Yellows or any game in the competition at home in two years.
Dortmund sensational run to the final did not have a happy ending despite dominating the match against Los Blancos but Nuri Sahin’s men have brought positivity into the new season. The player-turned-manager who played for both clubs guided the German outfit to back-to-back wins to start the new Champions League season in the new format, leading the League Phase table. After a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge away, the side stepped up a gear in front of the Yellow Wall claiming a sensational 7-1 win against Scottish champions Celtic. Karim Adeyemi scored a stunning first-half hattrick alongside Serhou Guirassy’s brace and substitute Felix Nmecha’s sealer after Emre Can began the party in the first place from the spot in just the seventh minute of the match. However, the challenge for their third match will be entirely different with the holders wishing to remind them of last season’s final again. Dortmund has not beaten Los Blancos since 2014 and wants to avoid the unwanted record of becoming the first side to go winless in the first eight games at a single away venue.
RM vs DOR Recent Form (all competitions)
RM: WDLWW
DOR: LWWLW
RM vs DOR Recent Form (Champions League 2024-25)
RM: WL
DOR: WW
RM vs DOR Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid
Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Bellingham, Tchouameni, Valverde; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Dortmund
Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Can, Sabitzer; Malen, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
RM vs DOR head-to-head
Played - 15
RM won - 7
Drawn - 5
DOR won - 3
RM vs DOR Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Vinicius Jr
Vice-captain Pick: Kylian Mbappé
RM vs DOR Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Kobel (Cr - 7.5)
DEF: Ryerson (Cr - 8.5), Militao (Cr - 8), Schlotterbeck (Cr - 8)
MID: Brandt (Cr - 9), Valverde (Cr - 9), Bellingham (Cr - 8.5), Sabitzer (Cr - 8)
FW: Mbappe (Cr - 9), Guirassy (Cr - 8.5), Vinicius Jr (Cr - 9)
Vice-captain: Kylian Mbappé
Captain: Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid vs Dortmund Match Prediction
Despite Dortmund’s promising form in the competition, Real Madrid will be too difficult of an opponent to face at home with so many records backing them for a victory. We predict a 2-1 win for the holders.
