CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Los Blancos on a Real roll against Bundesliga opposition
Real Madrid saw off Schalke in last term's Champions League, fresh from beating three German teams on their way to 'La Décima'.
In times gone by, being drawn against Bundesliga opposition would have had alarm bells ringing at Real Madrid. Los Blancos have now won their last four European ties against sides from Germany, but up until the 2013-14 season the picture was somewhat less rosy for the capital club - at least on their travels.
Before their Champions League-winning campaign that year, the Bernabéu outfit had mustered just one victory on German soil in continental competition: a 3-2 triumph at Bayer Leverkusen in 2000-01. That solitary success on the road went alongside six draws and no fewer than 19 defeats.
However, Real's path to 'La Décima' changed everything, as Carlo Ancelotti's men progressed to the final - where they beat city rivals Atlético Madrid - by seeing off Bundesliga clubs at every stop along the way through the knockout stages.
Madrid's route to Lisbon saw them well and truly banish their German hoodoo: after knocking out Schalke in the round of 16 (earning a stunning 6-1 away result in the opening leg), they then overcame Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, before dispatching Bayern Munich in a last-four clash that brought a historic 4-0 victory in Bavaria.
And in 2014-15, Real were again paired with Schalke in the last 16, a 2-0 win at the Veltins-Arena ensuring that Los Merengues advanced 5-4 on aggregate, despite a 4-3 second-leg reverse on home turf.