After Real Madrid subjected Borussia Dortmund to a merciless 3-0 beating in the first leg, the defending champions head back home, looking to seal their birth in the semifinals over the team that knocked them out of contention in 2013.
Can the return of Polish hotshot Robert Lewandowski be enough for Dortmund to shock Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal?
[sc:Soccer ]Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid Second Leg 2014 Betting Preview
When: Wednesday, April 8, 2014, 2:45 PM ET
Where: Signal-Iduna-Park, Dortmund
Betting on Borussia Dortmund
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Defending champion Borussia has its back against the wall when it returns to Signal-Iduna-Park on April 8th, after being whipped by Real in the first leg, 3-0.
The Germans evidently had a hard time coping with a depleted roster in the first leg of this 2013 rematch. They missed the services of lkay Gundogan, Neven Subotic, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Sven Bender and Marcel Schmelzer, but no absence weighed heavier than that of striker Robert Lewandowski. However, Lewandowski (six goals in the tournament) will be back for the second leg, bringing in a much-needed firepower for Dortmund. He is tied for second in Bundesliga with 16 goals.
In the last visit of Real to Dortmund, Lewandowski netted four goals, powering the home squad to a 4-1 victory over Madrid in the two team’s semifinal match-up in last year’s edition of the tournament. Even in 2014, Borussia proven they can run up a score line: the team has two wins with a margin of at least five goals thus far this season.
Betting on Real Madrid
Before he got hurt with 10 minutes left in the first leg match, Cristiano Ronaldo had already put the icing on the cake by scoring his team’s third goal, capping Real’s 3-0 victory over the Germans on Wednesday. It was Ronaldo’s 14th goal, tying him for the most scored in a single tournament.
Serving as a blessing in disguise for Carlo Ancelotti’s club is the sudden withdrawal of midfielder Angel Di Maria (illness) moments before the match. Without Di Maria, Ancelotti picked Isco as the replacement, who then made good on the opportunity by scoring the second goal. Real has now scored at least three goals in its last three games in the tournament.
Real simply overwhelmed Borussia all game, attempting 20 shots (16 on target) and controlling the possession 58% of the time. Real’s superior attacking showed itself early when Gareth Bale opened the floodgates by scoring the team’s first goal just three minutes into the match.
Real looks to knock the Germans out of the tournament on April 8 at Signal-Iduna-Park and in the process extend the Spanish side’s two-game winning streak as visitors.
Prediction
Dortmund has lost its last two home games and has been shaky over their last few games. The last loss to Madrid served as the defending champs death knell. Look for Madrid to win again on April 8 and roll easily into the semifinals.
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