Manchester memories boost Dortmund for Real clash

Last updated : 23 October 2012 By AFP

Dortmund were only denied taking three points in Manchester three weeks ago when City striker Mario Balotelli netted a late penalty to gain a 1-1 draw after Marco Reus had put Borussia ahead.

With Jose Mourinho's Group D leaders next up at Signal Iduna Park stadium, Dortmund must produce another disciplined display, said their coach.

"We need to get the feeling from Manchester again and remind ourselves what we are capable of doing if we give it everything we have," said Klopp.

Dortmund are confident of having both left-back Marcel Schmelzer and midfielder Mario Goetze available after the pair shook off minor knocks, but whether Ilkay Gundogan will be fit after a back injury remains to be seen.

"Schmelzer and Goetze can probably play," said Klopp.

"We don't know exactly when it comes to Gundogan."

Security is an issue for the arrival of the Spanish giants in the wake of Saturday's riots in Dortmund before Schalke's victory in the Ruhr derby.

In total, 180 arrests were made with 11 people injured, including eight police officers, after violent clashes between rival fans.

Dortmund's defeat leaves them with just one win in their last six games and midfielder Sven Bender says they have put behind them Saturday's defeat.

"The focus is now on tomorrow's game, the weekend has been crossed off and rightly so," said Bender, a fan of video games who confessed it will be good to face Real on the pitch and not just on his computer.

Klopp said his team face a huge challenge against nine-time European champions Real who hammered Ajax 4-1 in Amsterdam three weeks ago on their last European appearance.

"Whoever has the ball, will enjoy also having the most chances," said Klopp.

"We have to be extremely disciplined to keep the ball and remember what we did in Manchester.

"We have to disturb their possession or we are going to have a problem.

"They have quality and are very quick. I have been watching Real for many years, but they are very strong at the moment."

Klopp and Dortmund come into the game boosted by the news Poland defender Lukasz Piszczek had extended his contract with the German champions until 2017.

Klopp admitted he was pleased to hear reports Spanish clubs are eager to sign him.

"When I hear someone wants to sign Piszczek for between 10 to 15 million, I can only say they aren't shopping at a cheap discount store," said Klopp, implying any potential buyer will pay a high price for the Poland star.

The high-profile clash has extra significance with both teams having made a patchy start in their domestic leagues and desperate to do well in Europe to compensate for their domestic stumbles.

Dortmund have beaten Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title for the last two seasons, but the Bavarians are currently 12 points ahead of Klopp's team in the league.

Likewise, Jose Mourinho's Real are eight points adrift of bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga.

Source: AFP

Source: AFP