Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is looking forward to a "complicated and special game" against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday. Madrid are coming off a 4-0 win against Zaragoza, and Mourinho said his team is starting to combine "the physical and the psychological" despite being eight points off the pace in the Spanish league.
Dortmund lead the group with seven points, one more than Madrid. Manchester City is on one point, two behind Ajax and in danger of failing to even qualify for the Europa League. A second win for Dortmund over Madrid would all but secure qualification for the German team.
The Bundesliga champions seized top spot, thanks to their 2-1 win in Dortmund but they face a different prospect in the Spanish capital, where Madrid have won their last seven European games. Madrid lost in the semi-finals last season at home to Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout.
Madrid have 18 wins from 23 games at home against German oppositions and just two losses, both to Bayern. Dortmund have lost five of their eight games in Spain, with their only win being a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid en route to winning the Champions League in 1997.
Madrid are recovering from a poor start in Spain, winning their fifth match in the past six rounds to rise to third place at the weekend. The victory was Jose Mourinho's 100th in 133 matches with the Spanish champions, making him the fastest coach to reach that figure in the history of the club.
"We are playing well. Our performance is a complete effort, it doesn't only depend on how we are physically," Mourinho said.
Madrid midfielder Luka Modric wished his team had longer to get ready to play Dortmund. "The game in the Champions League is very important and we don't have a lot of time to prepare for it," he said. "But that isn't a reason not to win."
Madrid and Germany midfielder Sami Khedira is confident his team will top the group. "Real Madrid and one other team will go through," he said. "As a German, if Dortmund do go through that would be great for me as I think they also deserve it."
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