The 4th Official coverage of the big midweek clash between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid continues. After a look at the predicted Real Madrid lineup that might face Borussia Dortmund (you can read it here), we will now turn our attention to Borussia Dortmund’s predicted lineup against Real Madrid.
Formation: In my opinion, Thomas Tuchel will opt for a 3-5-1-1/5-3-1-1 pendulating formation. In the second half of last season, Tuchel decided to use this formation against big teams and particularly in Europe. Since their 5:1 beating to Bayern last season, Tuchel used the three/five at the back formation twice and The Bavarians failed to score on both the occasions. So looking at the history, Thomas Tuchel may just revert his usual 4-1-4-1 formation into a 3-5-2/5-3-2 pendulation formation.
Goalkeeper: Roman Burki will probably start against Real Madrid on Tuesday night. The Swiss goalkeeper experienced a mixed debut season in a Dortmund shirt last term and his performances so far this season, have also been topsy-turvy, managing to keep only one clean sheet in five Bundesliga appearances. However, Burki’s performance against Wolfsburg was highly remarkable and he will be looking to carry on from his performance against Real.
Right Wing Back: Polish defender Lukasz Piszczek is in a fiery mood going into the clash. The veteran defender scored in his last two consecutive matches in the league. One of the few survivors of that epic ‘4:1’ victory against Los Blancos in 2013. Piszczek is pretty familiar playing against Real Madrid, he’d start on the right wing back position.
Right Center Back: Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos will play as the right sided defender. The Greek International is very much suited to this role in the past. Sokratis will once again be key to stopping the highly dangerous duo of BBC.
Center Back: Possibly the toughest part right here, the choice between Sebastian Rode and Matthias Ginter. However, I would choose the former, Sebastian Rode. The 25-year old came in from Bayern this summer, a decent passer and defensively solid, Rode will be particularly handy when Weigl gets isolated in the middle, as he has the ability to play out from the back.
Left Center Back: Former Barcelona man, Marc Bartra is set to take reigns as the left-sided center back. The 25-year-old was rested because of a slight niggle he picked playing against Darmstadt. Bartra will be keen to play against his former rivals.
Left Wing Back: Captain Marcel Schmelzer is a complete lock in left back position. Schmelzer will no doubt be an important member on the night, leading his rather young troops against the mighty Real.
Center Defensive Midfield: Julian Weigl will undoubtedly start as the central defensive midfielder. The 21-year-old will arguably be, Dortmund’s most key player in the middle. It would be hard for Madrid to get a hold of him in midfield since Brasilian ball winner Casemiro is missing through to injury.
Right Central Midfield: Gonzalo Castro is the man to watch out for Real Madrid on Tuesday night. The Spanish-born German midfielder is in fiery form, scoring three and providing six assists in his last four games. He is predicted to start at the RCM position.
Left Central Midfield: Portuguese Raphael Guerreiro has been one of Dortmund’s hot asset this season. The 22-year-old was voted the player of the matchday four and also scored a goal against Freiburg on Friday. His creative mind would be crucial for Dortmund in the final third.
Central Attacking Midfield: Mario Gotze will start as the main playmaker against Real. The former Bayern midfielder was included in the lineup in Dortmund’s 4:1 win over Real Madrid in 2013. The 24-year-old scored his first goal after coming back at Dortmund in the previous matchday against Legia, he will be looking to continue his performance against Real.
Striker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the main threat for the rather weak Real Madrid defense. The French-born Gabon International is set to cause some serious trouble with his pace and movement among the Real backline. Aubameyang has already scored four goals in the Bundesliga and also started his UCL campaign with a neat finish against Legia in the first matchday.
