We have now reached the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League and there is a great night of football ahead on Wednesday 3rd April 2013 as Malaga host Borussia Dortmund at La Rosaleda and Real Madrid take on Galatasaray at their Bernabeu home.
Malaga vs. Borussia Dortmund
Malaga have been somewhat of a surprise package in this year’s tournament after topping quite a tough group consisting of AC Milan, Zenit and Anderlecht. They faced Porto in the Round of 16 and after losing 1-0 away from home, the Spanish side saw out a 2-0 win on their own turf to carry them through to the next stage. They are currently only just fifth in La Liga, one point in front of Valencia and one point behind Real Sociedad. Malaga’s key man is undoubtedly the 20 year-old Isco, who is a fabulous attacking midfielder with the world at his feet, creating as well as scoring goals. Their opponents, Borussia Dortmund, progressed from a very challenging group consisting of Dutch, English and Spanish champions Ajax, Man City and Real Madrid respectively, finishing top. After drawing away 2-2, they put in an excellent performance back in Germany, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 in the Round of 16. They are second in the Bundesliga but have been overshadowed by rivals Bayern Munich all season. Dortmund have many great players throughout their squad, including striker Robert Lewandowski, centre-back Mats Hummels and attacking midfielder Mario Gotze. Some believe that the German champions may even go all the way in this year’s tournament. Tickets available here!
Real Madrid vs Galatasaray
Real Madrid finished in second place, behind Dortmund in Group D and then faced played an exhilarating tie against Manchester United in the Round of 16. The aggregate score was 1-1 before the match at Old Trafford and the English side were leading at the break but a controversial red card decision involving Nani gave Madrid the upper hand and they score two goals in three minutes to beat United 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. The Spanish champions are second in La Liga and unbeaten in ten and the streak isn’t expected to be ended when they face Galatasaray. Like Dortmund. Real have quality in all positions but their key man is surely Cristiano Ronaldo, a player that everyone knows what he is capable of. Their opponents in this round, Galatasaray, finished second in Group H behind Madrid’s opponents in the previous round, Manchester United. They then went on to play Schalke in the Round of 16. After drawing 1-1 at home, they travelled to Germany and only just managed to beat the home side 3-2 in what was a thrilling game with some brilliant goals. The Turkish side are top of the league, four points in front of Fenerbache. Galatasaray have some very good players such as versatile midfielder, Hamit Altintop and striker Yilmaz, who has scored eight goals in eight Champions League Games this campaign. Tickets for Real vs Galatasaray are available here!
Although the ties seem like the winner is already predictable, teams cannot be written off in this competition as anything can happen! We will have to wait until Wednesday to see who will gain the upper hand ahead of the crucial second leg in one weeks’ time.
