On Tuesday, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund face off in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
A year ago, the two sides met up in the semifinals. In the first leg Robert Lewandowski scored four goals and took down Real Madrid single-handedly. Jose Mourinho's squad was stunned after the 4-1 defeat and was unable to make a comeback at home. Despite a 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu, Dortmund finished with a 4-3 aggregate win in the semifinal.
Things have changed dramatically since. Dortmund has struggled in the Bundesliga thanks to injuries and instability within the team. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has become an offensive juggernaut under Carlo Ancelotti is considered a favorite to win the tournament.
In the first leg in Madrid Los Blancos made quick work of Dortmund. Gareth Bale scored in the opening minutes and Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo added the death knells for Dortmund. With a 3-0 lead, Dortmund would need to score four or more goals to have any hopes of returning to the final. Madrid only needs one goal to essentially put this matchup out of reach.
Real Madrid has yet to lose in the Champions League this season. The team took down Galatasaray 6-1 in the first game before defeating Copenhagen 4-0. A 2-1 win over Juventus was then followed by a 2-2 draw in Turin. The team then defeated Galatasaray 4-1 at home and took down Copenhagen 2-0 on the road.
Many questioned Real Madrid's ability to overcome its poor performances on German soil over the years but Los Blancos shut up the critics with a dominating 6-1 win at Schalke in the opening game of the round of 16. In the second leg, the team won 3-1 to clinch a 9-2 aggregate victory.
Dortmund's journey has not been as favorable. The team was drawn into a tough group that included Arsenal, Napoli and Marseille. In the opener Dortmund lost 3-1 at Napoli but bounced back with a 3-0 win over Marseille at home. The side then won at Arsenal, but lost on its own turf against the Gunners. In the return game against Napoli, Dortmund won 3-1; in its final game of the group stage it won 2-1 at Marseille.
In the round of 16, Dortmund was blessed with the "easiest" matchup of them all. Zenit St. Petersburg had only accumulated six points in six group games and was seen as an easy team to beat. Dortmund won 4-2 in Russia but the return leg was far from impressive form the German side. The team finished up with a 5-4 aggregate win overall, but lost 2-1 at home.
Player to Watch: If he plays there can be no question that all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo. He has 14 goals in this tournament, tying the record and his next goal will put him in a category on his own as no player has ever scored 15 goals in a single Champions League season.
Prediction: Real Madrid comes away with a 2-1 victory.
The match kicks off at 3:45 p.m. EST and can be streamed online on Fox Soccer 2 Go. It can also be viewed on Fox Sports Latino.
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