Dortmund need a Real miracle

Real Madrid's defense will have nightmares just thinking about him. Robert Lewandowski returns from suspension to lead Borussia Dortmund's attack on Wednesday night, as they hope for minor miracle in the Champions League.

Jürgen Klopp's side lost the quarterfinal first leg 3-0 in a rain-soaked Madrid. meaning they will need to do something they never have done before in order to progress - overturn a three-goal European deficit.

But perhaps there's just a little cause for optimism. Lewandowski left Real Madrid nursing some deep wounds in last season's Champions League semifinal at Signal Iduna Park - when the central striker helped himself to four goals in a 4-1 win.

The Polish forward, who will join Bayern Munich in the summer, missed the last Wedensday's game through suspension after passing the yellow card threshold in the last round against Zenit St Petersburg.

His return should bolster Dortmund's confidence heading into the return leg. Lewandowski led from the front against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, dragging his side back from a goal down to win 2-1.

"We must have no fear and give it full throttle," Dortmund's departing top scorer said. "We must seize the opportunity provided to us. With the supporters behind us, anything is possible."

"Robert Lewandowski is a fantastic player and extremely dangerous," Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said.

Yet Lewandowski was realistic about the chances of lightning striking twice: "It would be crazy to think I could score four goals again. But we are dangerous in Dortmund."

Bowing out

For Dortmund, even a 4-1 win on the night would still see Real Madrid progress on away goals. The Spanish heavyweights, looking for their 10th trophy in either the Champions League or its predecessor the European Cup, sealed the first-leg win thanks to goals from Gareth Bale, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The odds are stacked well against Dortmund: Real Madrid have scored in 22 consecutive outings in UEFA competition on foreign soil.

But the bare minimum has already been achieved in European competition, taking into consideration the substantial number of absentees from the squad. An exit in the quarterfinals is far from the end of the world, yet Klopp still hopes Dortmund's time in the Champions League ends on a high note.

"I'm not aware of many miracles having happened with advanced warning," Klopp said in the pre-match news conference. "The only thing I can guarantee is that we will give it everything we have."

Driving seat

The condition of Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is still in the air ahead of the match tonight.

The Portuguese attacker's recent left-knee problems could mean he misses out on the Dortmund encounter. Ancelotti has options in abundance, however, with Welshman Bale in equally devastating form as Ronaldo.

"Cristiano always wants to play and I want him to play, but he is a professional and knows when he can't," Ancelotti said.

"It's true that we got a good result (in the first leg), but nothing is decided," Real right-back Dani Carvajal added. "We will do everything we can to put our opponents under pressure and look for the win which would put us in the semi-finals.

"We know Borussia had a couple of chances in the first leg so we have to remain wary, but we have a lot of attacking potential."