Kehl: Dortmund facing different Real

Sebastian Kehl accepts Borussia Dortmund will be underdogs against Real Madrid, despite beating them in the UEFA Champions League last season.

Dortmund overcame Real 4-3 on aggregate to secure a place in the 2012-13 final, with a 4-1 first-leg triumph at Signal Iduna Park arguably the highlight of a marvellous European campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Captain Kehl and his team-mates ultimately suffered disappointment in the Wembley showpiece, losing 2-1 to German rivals Bayern Munich, who have already clinched this year’s Bundesliga title.

Klopp’s side are in contention to make another run towards the latter stages of the competition and will renew acquaintances with Real in the quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The Spanish side crushed Dortmund’s neighbours Schalke 9-2 on aggregate in the last 16 and Dortmund head into the game without striker Robert Lewandowski – scorer of all four goals in last term’s first-leg success against Real.

And Kehl knows that Real will present a different proposition this time around.

“We’re in an excellent condition physically, but of course we know that Real are not the same side we faced last year,” Kehl told Kicker.

“They are the absolute favourites, together with Bayern Munich, to win the Champions League.

“But we showed last year that we can beat them and they won’t have forgotten that.”

Dortmund can at best achieve a second-placed finish in Germany’s top flight, but can reach the final of the DFB-Pokal by overcoming Wolfsburg in the last four in mid-April.

Kehl insists that meeting those targets takes precedence over Dortmund’s exploits in the Champions League.

“Then we would have reached all of our goals (by finish second and reaching the DFB-Pokal final),” Kehl added.

“We have already gone as far as we planned in the Champions League, and all that comes next is a bonus.”