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Real Madrid gear up for vibrant Dortmund

José Mourinho was full of praise for Real Madrid's Group D visitors Borussia Dortmund, with Jürgen Klopp adamant that the section leaders "are not going to be frightened".

José Mourinho expects Dortmund to be a real handful
José Mourinho expects Dortmund to be a real handful ©AFP/Getty Images

José Mourinho picked out Real Madrid CF's Group D guests Borussia Dortmund as potential UEFA Champions League winners ahead of their meeting at the Santiago Bernabéu, with visiting coach Jürgen Klopp hoping his side can put on a performance worthy of their surroundings and cement their place at the top of the section.

Madrid
José Mourinho, coach
Cristiano Ronaldo was a great player at Manchester United and has made his name playing for Real Madrid. He is a 27-year-old man. He is a great football player now and he will be in the future.

I'm worried about the whole Borussia Dortmund team. It is no coincidence that they have won the last two league titles in Germany or that they are top of the most difficult group in this season's UEFA Champions League. They are a very strong team with very physical, quick players. If they reach the next round they will be candidates to win the trophy. It's a tough group, every point you get is an achievement, every team in this group is at risk. If we beat Borussia Dortmund, we will be in a better position. Borussia Dortmund and us have the upper hand for now but Manchester City can get more points in the second set of matches. It is a very enjoyable group because it is very difficult. We are at home and I think we can do well.

Weekend result
Saturday: Madrid 4-0 Real Zaragoza (Higuaín 23, Dí María 25, Essien 89, Modrić 90)
Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Arbeloa (Nacho 82); Modrić, Essien, Di María (Callejón 73), Özil, Ronaldo; Higuaín (Benzema 69).

• Mourinho oversaw his 100th victory in charge of Madrid as the Liga champions moved third in the domestic standings. Gonzalo Higuaín opened the scoring with his seventh top-flight goal of the campaign before Ángel Di María doubled the lead on his 100th appearance for the club. Luka Modrić and Michael Essien scored their first Madrid goals late on.

Team news
Full-backs Marcelo (broken foot) and Fábio Coentrão (groin) have been out injured. Sami Khedira (thigh) is out of contention, while Mourinho said Karim Benzema would also miss the Dortmund game with a thigh problem, and that 19-year-old defender Raphaël Varane would be in his starting lineup.

Dortmund
Jürgen Klopp, coach
I like the Santiago Bernabéu and I am hoping to enjoy the atmosphere around the match. I hope we can match our surroundings. I haven't thought about who is going to win the UEFA Champions League, but I think about who is doing things well in our group. Every team in this competition could win the trophy. We are taking it step by step. We are not as bad as the Bundesliga table suggests but we have been more efficient in the UEFA Champions League.

We have to pay attention to all the Real Madrid players. We are quite good on the wings and if we use our weapons properly then we can create problems for them. My players have a great mentality. There are 20 very good teams in the world, and Real Madrid are one of them, but we are up there too. Mourinho is a very good coach, one of the best – very funny and a great colleague too. We are not going to be frightened but we will have maximum respect for Real Madrid.

Weekend result
Saturday: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 VfB Stuttgart
Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotić, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gündoğan, Kehl (Leitner 20); Reus (Perišić 76), Götze, Großkreutz (Schieber 56); Lewandowski.

• For the first time in 21 months, Dortmund have gone two games without a home win, failing to score for the first time in 27 games.

Team news
Captain Sebastian Kehl was taken off with a broken nose during Saturday's Bundesliga game. Klopp said that he is training with a mask to protect his nose but remains a doubt.

Match fact
• Including their 3-2 victory over Manchester City FC on matchday one, Madrid have won seven straight home fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 27 goals.

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