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Borussia Dortmund are all set to skip training at Real Madrid's home ground Santiago Bernabeu, as per a report from MARCA (via Madrid Universal). The German side will take on Real Madrid in their third UEFA Champions League fixture on October 22 following their 2-0 loss to the Spanish giants in the final last season. While Dortmund sit at the top of the table, the Los Blancos are positioned 17th, courtesy of their 1-0 loss to LOSC Lille in the previous outing.
Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin has decided to consider training at their own base and later fly to Madrid. The reason behind this is reportedly his fear that Real Madrid might deploy spies to take notes from Sahin's training session. Thus, he has decided to keep his team away from the Santiago Bernabeu until the ball starts rolling on matchday.
Borussia Dortmund, after they conclude their training, will fly to Spain and Sahin will travel directly to the press conference after landing and work on the media duties.
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The German side are facing two contrary situations in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League. In the Bundesliga, Dortmund currently sit seventh on the table, notching 13 points from seven fixtures. They have secured four wins and a draw and lost out on two occasions.
Speaking of the continental competition, Dortmund sit on the top. They have won both their clashes, first against Club Brugge (3-0) and the second against Scottish side Celtic (7-1).
They saw a managerial change prior to the season. Nuri Sahin, a former Dortmund player himself, was handed the charge by the board to replace Edin Terzic this summer after being his assistant coach. Terzic, notably, took the team to the Champions League final last season.
Real Madrid looking for a comeback against Dortmund
Carlo Ancelotti's side might be second in La Liga. But their continental campaign has not been the best. The opening clash saw Real Madrid secure a comfortable 3-1 victory over German outfit VfB Stuttgart. However, in the second game, they were handed a 1-0 blow by French side LOSC Lille.
After returning from the October international break, Real Madrid defeated Celta Vigo 2-1 last weekend. And now they will be looking to return to winning ways in the continental competition, a place they have dominated for decades.
However it's not only the Dortmund game which is crucial. They have five nail-biting clashes prior to the November break. After facing Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, they will be facing Barcelona in the El Clasico on October 26. Six days later (November 2), they will be going up against Valencia, who are fighting relegation as of now.
On November 5, just three days after their domestic clash, they will have to take on Italian giants AC Milan in the Champions League. Finally, as the November international break nears, Ancelotti's side will lock horns with Osasuna on November 9.
