Borussia Dortmund will need more than just a strong mindset when they visit champions Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, coach Nuri Sahin said as last year’s two finalists meet again in the competition’s new league phase. Real won their 15th European Cup in June at Wembley with Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr. scoring late to claim a 2-0 victory over a Dortmund team who had threatened an upset win after dominating the first hour.
“Mentality only is not enough to survive against Real Madrid, especially in this stadium, against the champions of this competition,” Sahin told a press conference on Monday. “We need everything tomorrow. We need a lot of quality, a lot of self-confidence, mentality of course and also, as we say in Germany, game luck.
“The game has to go our way, so only mentality will not be enough – but of course without mentality we have absolutely no chance here.” Dortmund maintained a winning start to the competition with a home 7-1 thrashing of Celtic earlier this month after they picked up a 3-0 win at Club Brugge in their opening fixture. They currently lead the standings on six points with an impressive goal difference of nine.
“It’s only possible (to continue this way) as a collective against this team,” Sahin added. “The lads know what we have planned for tomorrow. We want to be brave and build on the last two games in the Champions League.
” Sahin, who played for both clubs, will visit Bernabeu for the first time as a c.