Internet Desk: Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mates looked in high spirits as they prepared for Wednesday’s deciding Champions League group game against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday midnight.
Real Madrid trail the all-firing Bundesliga side by two points in Group F, knowing only a win can seal them top spot and a better chance of an easier draw in the Round of 16.
Despite the high-stakes match, the reigning European champions looked relaxed as they trained at their Valdebebas headquarters on a beautiful December morning in Madrid.
Marcelo and James Rodriguez were especially keen to put on a show for the gathered press in an open training session with Brazilian full-back showing some affection for his Colombian team-mate with a kiss on the neck.
Spain internationals Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Morata were also spotted messing about by a photographer, but there was plenty of serious work to be done and head coach Zinedine Zidane was present to make sure order was restored.
The assembled media were treated to an ‘El Rondo’ possession game with 11 players forming a circle and charged with the task of keeping the ball away from the two players in the middle.
It could well prove to be perfect preparation for the upcoming tie against Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund, whose high-tempo attacking play saw them put eight goals past Legia Warsaw in the last round of matches.
Indeed, Tuchel’s philosophy of ‘attack first, defend second’ has seen them score at a rate of almost four-goal-a-game in the Champions League and just under three-goals-a-game in the Bundesliga.
But that attacking threat has frequently seen them come undone at the back with Real Madrid themselves scoring twice in the first meeting between these two sides in September.