体坛英语新闻：Real Madrid look for a miracle in 90 long minutes in the Bernabeu

MADRID, April 29 (Xinhua) -- It would be fair to say that 'Operation 3-0' began almost as soon as the final whistle blew at the end of the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Dortmund last Wednesday.

Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 thrashing of Real Madrid left the Spanish side with a mountain to climb in the return leg if they are to reach the final at Wembley and have a chance to lift a 10th European Cup.

The Real Madrid spin doctors have been hard at work since then, working to convince the Real Madrid fans that their side can beat the Germans by the required 3-0 to take them closer to the obsession of the 'Decima' as that European title has been known.

The battling spirit of former Real Madrid player Juanito has been evoked time and again in the past days, as it is every time his side need an epic fightback, with nobody caring to remember that one of Juanito's most famous European acts saw him pick up a lengthy suspension for stamping on the head of former Bayern Munich player Lothar Mattheus.

The club will be organizing a fan zone for its supporters outside of the stadium on Tuesday to try and build up the atmosphere in a ground which can, despite its 78,000 capacity, at times be cold towards its own players. Meanwhile the Real Madrid players have participated in a video aimed at ensuring total support from the stands.

That is not to say that Borussia will be alone in the Bernabeu: 4,000 of their vociferous supporters will make the trip to ensure their side is not intimidated by a ground where, as the saying goes, "90 minutes can be a very long time."

Cristiano Ronaldo is a slight doubt for Real Madrid, after picking up a muscle problem last week. The striker, who is so important to his side, missed Madrid's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday night and has trained apart, but it is likely that with so much at stake, coach Jose Mourinho will take a chance on Ronaldo's fitness.

Full backs Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo are both certain to miss the game, with Sergio Ramos covering on the right and Fabio Coentrao on the left.

Elsewhere Diego Lopez will continue in goal with Sami Khedira, Xavi Alonso and Mesut Ozil in midfield and Gonzalo Higuain in attack.

The two sides have now met three times in the Champions League this season and although hopes of a Real Madrid fightback are high, the matches to date don't bear out to such optimism. Borussia have defeated Madrid 2-1 and 4-1 at home, while they outplayed their rivals in the 2-2 draw in the Bernabeu in the group stage and in all three meetings Borussia looked as if they were physically superior to their rivals, who so often dominate games in Spain.

However, now there is a place in the Champions League final at stake and maybe that will affect the nerves of a side that is not as experienced at this level. Real Madrid will be hoping that is the case, they will also hope for an early goal, because if that happens the Bernabeu will be a cauldron of pressure and the miracle might just be possible.