Borussia Dortmund opts out of training at the Santiago Bernabeu due to surveillance concerns: Report

In a Champions League group-stage showdown, the two teams will be facing off, with reports from German tabloid Bild suggesting that Dortmund have opted out of the usual training session to familiarize themselves with the venue before the match. Instead, the German team will have their final training session in Dortmund before heading to Madrid for the highly anticipated clash.

On the spying accusations, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said: “We know it all about the rival team. We watch all their games. There’s no secrets, I have enough information about the team and how they’ve played recently.”

Dortmund head into the game amid worrying form and criticism of coach Nuri Sahin.

Surprise finalists Dortmund dominated the first half and much of the second at Wembley in June, but were felled by a trademark Real counter-punch, conceding twice in the final 20 minutes to lose last term’s showpiece 2-0. Since then, coach Edin Terzic has left his post, falling victim to a poor domestic season with a fifth-placed finish.

Sahin, a Dortmund junior who had an unsuccessful short stint at Real as a player, has overseen 10 games in all competitions.

Now he faces the biggest test of his mettle to date, with his Dortmund team having looked inconsistent and still appearing to lack a clear tactical identity.