The evening of October 24, Westfalenstadion.
In the third round of the Champions League Group Stage, Real Madrid traveled to face Dortmund.
In the dressing room before the match, Klopp received Real Madrid's starting lineup, and the result surprised him.
"It isn't Vermaelen after all." Klopp's brows furrowed.
Guessing an opponent's starting lineup incorrectly was neither strange nor unusual, but getting Real Madrid's lineup wrong could have serious consequences.
Judging by the starting lineup, Ancelotti had Casillas in goal once again, with Pepe and Ramos forming the center-back pairing. The midfield consisted of the Spanish trio of David Silva, Javi Martínez, and Xabi Alonso, while the front line featured Hazard, Yang Yang, and Di Maria.
The only puzzling thing was that Ancelotti had Azpilicueta and Carvajal start at the same time.
What did this mean?
Which of them would play on the left flank?
Carvajal was better at attacking, while Azpilicueta was better at defending. Which one of them would appear on the left?
It was truly a headache-inducing mystery.
Dortmund had also sent out their strongest lineup that night. Weidenfeller was in goal, with Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotić, and Piszczek across the back. The midfield consisted of the Double Defensive Midfielders Sven Bender and Sebastian Kehl, both renowned for their defensive abilities. The attacking line featured Großkreutz, Götze, and Reus, with Lewandowski as the lone striker.
It had to be said that this was the strongest lineup Dortmund could field.
"We have no other choice now. There's no time to hesitate. We can only see it through to the end," Buvac said.
Klopp nodded.
For this match, he had even given up the league game the previous weekend, resulting in Dortmund losing at home. He knew all too well that facing Bayern Munich, who had won eight straight league matches,