Dortmund on back foot without Lewandowski

Much has changed since Robert Lewandowski became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League semi-final last season as his Borussia Dortmund side prepare once again to face Real Madrid tonight.

Even then Real coach Jose Mourinho had Dortmund down as favourites for a tie they won 4-3 on aggregate to set up a Wembley final with Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski’s goals in a 4-1 win at the Westfalenstadion put one Dortmund foot in the door of the final, but with the Poland striker suspended for tonight’s quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu, the boot seems to be on the other foot this time around.

“Given our budget and the injuries we’ve got, there’s no doubt we’re the underdogs,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp. “Real have added class players in [Gareth] Bale and Isco.”

Dortmund are also deprived of Ilkay Gundogan, Neven Subotic, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Sven Bender and Marcel Schmelzer.

It is a situation Real are quite happy coping with too, and coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose Paris St-Germain side fell at this stage of last season’s competition, is keen to seize this opportunity.

“Robert Lewandowski is a big loss for them,” the Italian said. “But they have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who can take advantage of Lewandowski’s absence.

“He’s a great player and I remember him well from last year when he was at St Etienne.”

Real, still searching for their historic 10th European Cup title — the Decima — will be without the injured Marcelo, who will be replaced by Fabioa Coentrao.

The three-pronged attack of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale and Karim Benzema, which saw off Schalke in the last round, should lead the Spaniards’ attack.