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Sport
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
REAL MADRID vs BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Form favours Madrid’s turnaround
R
eal Madrid CF will go in search of an eighth straight home victory against a Borussia Dortmund side who beat them on matchday three but last won away in the competition in 2003. Real Madrid CF’s recent UEFA Champions League home record suggests an awkward evening awaits Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabéu on matchday four. Dortmund were superb in drawing at Manchester City FC in their last away fixture, and overcame Madrid 2-1 in Germany on matchday three, but now visit opponents seeking an eighth straight home victory in the competition.
Euro Champions League
Match background • Including their 3-2 victory over Manchester City on matchday one, Madrid have won seven straight home fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 27 goals. • Madrid’s record against German visi-
tors is W18 D3 L2, including a 5-1 victory over 1 FC Köln in the first leg of the 1985/96 UEFA Cup final. Last season they defeated FC Bayern München 2-1 in the home leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final but lost the penalty shoot-out that followed. Bayern, with wins in 2000 and 2001, are the only Bundesliga team to have won at the Bernabéu. • Dortmund’s last trip to Spain yielded a 2-2 draw at Sevilla FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage. Neven Suboti scored a second-half equaliser but Dortmund, needing three points to progress, were eliminated. • Beaten in all three fixtures on the road last term, Dortmund last won a UEFA Champions League away game in 2003 at AC Milan. Key Players: Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuan, Karim Benzema, Marcelo: Borussia Dortmund: Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Kehl, Mario Gotze
Santi Cazorla
MANCHESTER CITY vs AJAX
City seeks to prevent Ajax repeat
M
anchester City FC is struggling in Group D but a long unbeaten home record gives cause for optimism as AFC Ajax aim, for a second victory on Mancunian soil in 2012. Manchester City FC may have scraped a draw with Borussia Dortmund in their last home outing but their record suggests AFC Ajax will have their work cut out to take anything from the teams’ matchday four fixture. City has won 14 and drawn four home matches in UEFA competition since September 2008, although Ajax can take heart from both their 3-1 matchday three defeat of City and having won at Manchester United FC just over eight months ago.
Today’s Fixtures AC Milan
v
Malaga
Anderlecht
v
Zenit St
Dynamo Kiev
v
FC Porto
Man City
v
Ajax
Olympiakos
v
Montpellier
Paris SG
v
Din Zagreb
Real Madrid
v
B. Dortmund
Schalke 04
v
Arsenal
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid celebrating after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the La Liga match against RCD Mallorca
included. • Ajax ended a 40-year wait for a ponents when beating City’s neighb UEFA Europa League round of 32 derweireld (87) secured a 2-1 victor a 2-0 first-leg deficit. Key Players: Manchester City – David Silva, Yaya Toure: Ajax – Si Eyong Enoh, Ryan Babel
Match background • City are hosting Dutch opposition for the third time having twice got the better of FC Twente. They won 3-2 to secure a 4-3 aggregate success in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup first round, with Brian Kidd, now first-team coach, scoring the second goal. The score was the same when the clubs met again in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage – the only survivors from that game in City’s squad are Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta. • Mario Balotelli’s late penalty equaliser against Dortmund on matchday two means City have still not lost a European home tie since a 1-0 reverse against FC Midtjylland in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round. They remain unbeaten at home in the European Cup, albeit having played only five matches to date, their brief 1968/69 campaign Mario Balotelli jumping off a tackle