With the much-anticipated Champions League quarterfinals on the horizon, the soccer world is holding its collective breath for these next four games. While Bayern vs Barca easily qualifies as a clash of the titans, I personally am more intrigued by the Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid series that will begin on April 24th. With Dortmund looking more and more like destiny's team and Madrid having more momentum than an avalanche, somethings gotta to give. So without any further Freddy Adu, here is my preview and prediction of this quarterfinal matchup.
Ever since beating Barcelona twice in a week, it has been smooth sailing in the capital city. Ronaldo has been happy and Mourinho seems more and more likely to stay on the Bernabeu sideline next season. Everything is clicking for this team and their quality of play domestically and internationally reflects this newfound confidence. Even their "disasters" are working out well. When Castillas went down with a broken hand, all hope seemed lost for Madrid — how could life continue without their star and captain? But, Diego Lopez has not only met expectations but he has surpassed them, and now Madrid has a goalie battle for the first time in over ten years. With incredible depth, Ronaldo scoring an absurd eleven goals in the Champions League thus far, and a defense that has improved with every game, this Madrid team is very different than the one Dortmund faced in the fall.
Has Borussia Dortmund's luck run out or can they continue their miraculous run all the way to Wembley? After the miracle in Westphalia, Madrid never can count out this BVB squad, especially since Dortmund is playing with confidence; they beat Madrid once already this year, and they will represent a tough matchup for the Merengues. With one of the most dangerous attacking trios in Gotz, Reus, and Lewandowski, Dortmund will not be afraid to crank up the tempo and attack Madrid. But struggling sometimes to stop the opponents from creating chances and protecting the lead, BVB's defense leaves a bit to be desired. But after generating a plethora of chances offensively, Jurgen Klopp's squad can afford to concede one or maybe two goals.
Both of these teams deserve to be in the quarterfinals as they certainly are two of the best four squads in Europe. To begin with, Madrid certainly has the advantage in terms of scheduling, as statistically it is more favorable to play the second game at home. Realistically, the away team only needs a close game with a couple of road goals, and the pressure will be on Dortmund to make sure that does not happen. Needing to score goals at home, BVB will come out flying in the first leg. Ironically, this will work to Madrid's advantage. Los Blancos will counter like there is no tomorrow and hope that they can bend without breaking. Look for Dortmund to focus all their attack on Madrid's left flank, trying to replicated Galatasaray's success against Contrao. A couple of Diego Lopez saves later and a big game from Borussia's big three and the players will leave Westphalia with a 3-2 score in Dortmund's advantage. In Madrid, the game will be much slower. Dortmund will sit back and try to maintain their one-goal advantage. But Ronaldo will prove to be too much and after a slow first half, the Portuguese man o' war will put Madrid on his back. Madrid will win the series, 5-4 and the famous Real Madrid will head to Wembley.
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