Real Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday. Even though Madrid are already through, they still have a lot to play for.
Things have been going poorly for Real Madrid lately. Madrid sits eight points off of La Liga leaders Barcelona, and failed to make up ground on them this past weekend as both Barcelona and Madrid drew against their respective opponents.
But if you think things are going poorly for Real Madrid, just take a look at how Dortmund’s season is going. With new manager Peter Bosz at the helm, many thought that Dortmund would excel in the Champions League this season. Instead, the German side has unceremoniously crashed out of the tournament. Drawing twice against Cypriot minnows APOEL FC, along with losses against Tottenham and Madrid, meant that Dortmund’s Champions League chance for the season were over.
As Joseph Mahfood of BVBBuzz discusses, Bosz’ tactics have come under scrutiny of late. Specifically, his implementation of a risky high-line defensive schema has failed to adequately protect Dortmund’s goal. Real Madrid will be hoping to expose this weakness with intelligent runs behind the defense.
Some might say that there’s not a ton on the line as Madrid face off against Dortmund on Wednesday. Tottenham need just a point against APOEL in the final group stage match to ensure that they stay on top of the group.
But Tottenham are in a bad spot right now, with their EPL season beginning to implode around them. If APOEL can manage to punish Tottenham with a defeat, and Madrid win their match against Dortmund, Madrid will be tied on points at 13, and will hold a better goal difference than the London side.
It’s an outside chance, but Real Madrid technically could still eke out the spot at the top of the Group. With Madrid struggling for form right now, and teams like Manchester City and PSG looking in tip-top shape, Madrid would do well to avoid having to play a huge match in the first round of the knockout stage.
To even give themselves a chance, Real Madrid first need to put Borussia Dortmund to the sword.
Next: Musings on Real Madrid's problems