Said another way, can Real Madrid CF manage to pull off a "Football miracle" winning 3 - 0 & not allowing the Germans to score a single goal ? I see a victory at home very possible, I do not see Real Madrid holding off Borussia Dortmund 90 minutes without the Germans scoring a goal.
To set the atmosphere up locally & the self motivation of the Real Madrid players. The full Real Madrid machinery is now firing on all channels: web page remembering past glorious comeback nights, motivational video of the players calling for local support, media channels debating how possible it is to turn the semi-final around, pre-match activities outside the stadium, mosaic artwork for the crowd to construct, AC/DC "thunderstruck" track sounding live full volume just before the match .. the list goes on. People actually do believe that tomorrow night will be magical, the Real Madrid marketing department has not stopped all week.
Real Madrid trained this morning & the doubt over Cristiano Ronaldo fitness was lessened as the Portuguese star seemed to move well. In fact Coach José Mourinho has handed in his list of 22 players:
Casillas, Adán, Diego López, Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao, Carvalho, Albiol, Nacho, Khedira, Kaká, Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Essien, Modric, Callejón, Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuaín & Morata
The absent players are Arbeloa & Marcelo.
The question is now what will be the Real Madrid start 11 line-up against Borussia Dortmund? We have the following fixed elements:
- Real Madrid must attack from the first minute & find goal ( lots of goals)
- Real Madrid will need to dominate the midfield & put Dortmund into their own half
- Control the dangerous Dortmund wingers & Lewandowski
- Not allow Dortmund to score a single goal.
With this in mind I will speculate on a possible starting 11.
Diego Lopez, Essien, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Coentrao, Xabi Alonso, Khedira ( Modric) Ozil, Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo & Higuain (Benzema).
Diego Lopez, Essien, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Coentrao, Xabi Alonso, Khedira ( Modric) Ozil, Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo & Higuain (Benzema).
My doubts are if Khedira or Modric will play & if Higuain will start ahead of Benzema. A brave starting 11 will have Modric & Bezema from the start, but Real Madrid will need some defensive muscle if they are to keep Borussia scoreless & Khedira is more suited for that cause I think.
Taking about doubts I don´t see anything strange if Callejon starts ahead of a hypothetical Modric. Why? The need to halt the Dortmund wingers, & Callejon can do the attacking - defending "dirty work" all game.
Taking about doubts I don´t see anything strange if Callejon starts ahead of a hypothetical Modric. Why? The need to halt the Dortmund wingers, & Callejon can do the attacking - defending "dirty work" all game.
In any case, difficult to predict. I am sure Mourinho will have a "wild card" up his sleeve, he nearly always has one. The only certainty I can say today ( 24 hours +/ - away ) is that it will be a top game of European Football. The possibility does exist in it finishing in a win for Real Madrid, & if all goes according to the local script, a historical & magical night for Real Madrid, as difficult that this is / & will be.
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