Bender: Facing Real is unique

Sven Bender is relishing playing against Real Madrid in real life and warns the Spanish that Borussia Dortmund know how to compensate for inexperience.

Los Blancos visit the Germans this midweek for the third match of Group D in the Champions League for what 23-year-old Bender described today as a ‘milestone’.

“Honestly, I stopped playing against Madrid on FIFA in the last few weeks,” he reflected to AS when asked if he had practiced facing the Spanish champions on the computer game.

“This is something unique, to play against a power like Madrid at home. Two years ago we played each other in a friendly, but for a competitive game this is a milestone, a big event. And we are thrilled.”

It is an enthusiasm that the midfielder insists will be partly why the far-less-experienced Germans will not be nervous for facing the nine-time competition winners.

“There is a short distance from one game to another. We analyse the errors of the last game and we try to solve things at a tactical level, but we are already focused on Madrid.

“Madrid have more experience than us, but that is not everything. We can compensate as we did against Manchester City by being compact.

“We have to play as we know and see if we can get a result.”

Tags Bender Borussia Dortmund
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