Mourinho plays down defeat to Dortmund

25 October 2012 01:03

Jose Mourinho does not believe Real Madrid's loss to Borussia Dortmund impacts his team's chances of progressing in the Champions League.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Marcel Schmelzer condemned Real to a 2-1 defeat on Wednesday and saw them replaced by the Bundesliga champions at the top of Group D, however Mourinho was adamant it is not a huge blow to their ambitions.

"We lost the game, but it is not dramatic. We are in a serious group, it's no joke. It is not satisfying, but we are second," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.

"We now have six points. We have two games at home and it is within our reach to get the points needed to make the round of 16.

"I told my players that they were going to score their goals on the counterattack, and so it happened. I knew they would only have spaces in the transition game.

"There was a lot of pressure and it was difficult to get a balance. There were few opportunities and little creation."

Ajax's 3-1 triumph over Manchester City leaves the top two clubs in pole position to advance, meaning the visit of Dortmund to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu could determine which club finishes in top spot.

Khedira full of praise for Oezil

24 October 2012 11:23

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has praised team-mate Mesut Oezil ahead of his side's Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.

Oezil has been struggling to find his best form in the opening months of the 2012/13 campaign, but his fellow German is adamant that very few players can offer more than him.

"He is one of the best players in the world now. He is among the very best in his position," the 25-year-old told the club's website.

"He could still improve in certain aspects. He knows it, and I also tell him that sincerely as a friend. But I think that, with the quality he has, he is among the best in the world."

Khedira looked ahead to the Group D clash against Dortmund and said the Germans would test the La Liga champions.

"Dortmund are a compact team, a block. They play at a great pace for the full 90 minutes and are very disciplined tactically," he said.

"Also, despite being a team without much experience in the Champions League, they have a lot of quality, especially in attack. I think Dortmund have a very good team."

Ricken: Time for Dortmund to deliver

24 October 2012 09:22

Borussia Dortmund hero Lars Ricken believes the team have learned their lesson from last season's failure in the Champions League.

Fresh from their Bundesliga triumph in 2010/11, Juergen Klopp's side struggled on the European stage, finishing fourth in their group.

However, going into their clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday, they already have four points to their name, and the 36-year-old feels they have turned the corner.

"The team learned a lot about playing in Europe last season," he told Goal.com.

"Most recently, they showed against Manchester City that they are capable of doing remarkable things. I think Wednesday is a good day to deliver something extraordinary."

Ricken was part of the team for the 1997/98 semi-final against Real Madrid, which was delayed when the goal posts collapsed, and the 2002/03 meeting of the two sides in the second group stage.

The former Germany international said the Dortmund locals were anxious as they seek revenge for their previous eliminations at the hands of the nine-time champions.

"I look at the area. Of course, the anticipation is very great, particularly with a team of real superstars visiting. I was there in 1998 at the ominous game where the goal fell," Ricken said.

"Then again in 2003, when Madrid were on the brink of defeat, only for us to collapse in injury time. You don't forget these quickly."

Dortmund fell 12 points behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race when they lost 2-1 to Schalke at home on Saturday.

Ricken said Klopp's side were unlikely to turn it around, but still saluted the former Mainz trainer's influence on the club.

"(What's missing) is the coolness. What's more, I think many teams have become eager to beat Dortmund, the champions," he said.

"Right now you have to wonder – who will stop Bayern? I believe, at this point in the season, there is no way back.

"Neither I, nor the fans, can forget what's happened here over the last few years. In 2005, Dortmund were almost bankrupt, but we're all very grateful for the last two years."

Bender, Dortmund focused on Real

24 October 2012 01:40

Midfielder Sven Bender has claimed Borussia Dortmund have moved on from their derby loss and are focused on their clash with Real Madrid.

Dortmund lost 2-1 at home against Schalke on Saturday but Bender has claimed the reigning Bundesliga champions have had no time to wallow in that result.

Next up is Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and Bender knows Dortmund must find a way to exploit the Spanish club's lack of top-line full-backs, in the hope of moving to the top of Group D.

"We don't have the time to think about our last game in the Bundesliga," Bender said.

"We know we did a lot of things wrong but we proved we can play better football.

"We are professionals so we have to forget those defeats.

"We focused pretty quickly on the game against Real Madrid.

"That is the only thing we think about now."

Real Madrid have travelled to Germany without full-backs Alvaro Arbeloa, Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo, who are all injured, but head coach Jose Mourinho has refused to use that as an excuse.

"This game against Dortmund will be tough but not because we are missing a few players," Mourinho said.

"I don't like talking about players that are not available.

"We have a good enough team to play tomorrow and it will be difficult because of the quality of the opponents we are facing."

Mourinho's counterpart Jurgen Klopp has reminded his side that despite Madrid's injury problems in defence, the Spanish team could still overwhelm Dortmund with their attacking players.

"We have to work extremely hard like we did against Manchester City (where we claimed a 1-1 draw)," Klopp said.

"We also have to be wary about some of Real's key players.

"When you play against them, you have to watch out for players like Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo, (Angel) Di Maria, (Karim) Benzema and (Gonzalo) Higuain.

"There is high quality all around.

"We want to take the sting out of the match, like we did against City, and play with that same attitude against Real Madrid.

"We have to give everything we have."

Lewandowski not scared of Real Madrid stars

22 October 2012 14:47

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski hopes Real Madrid defender Pepe 'plays a clean game' during Wednesday's Champions League clash.

Lewandowski will have to deal with either the Portugal international, Sergio Ramos or Raphael Varane, but he is focused on the task in hand and is not letting the reputation of his potential opponent distract him.

"I think all the Madrid players can cause us danger; they're the best in the world," Lewandowski told AS.

"But we have to focus on ourselves and above all, try to make as few mistakes as possible. We hope to prepare well enough that Madrid don't surprise us in any way.

"I'm not scared of them, I can assure you. I know perfectly well what kind of defenders they are, but I'm not scared. I only hope that Pepe plays a clean game and there won't be any problems with him."

The Poland international then went on to voice his admiration for Madrid, but added that Dortmund are focused on their own performance.

"Madrid are a top side and we know it won't be easy, but there's no reason to have fear," he said.

"I hope it'll be a spectacle and it'll end with victory for us."