Borussia Dortmund have their sights set on preserving their perfect Champions League record when they take on Atletico Madrid. A point would be enough for BVB to book their place in the last 16 with two games to spare.Lucien Favre's charges made a statement by handing Atletico their biggest defeat in Diego Simeone's near seven-year reign as head coach to move onto three wins from three in Group A. Last month's 4-0 victory at the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK stands as the crown jewel in BVB's club-record 15-game unbeaten streak in all compeitions since the Swiss took over at the helm in the summer.
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On Tuesday, a fourth straight victory in Europe would clinch top spot in Group A for the new-and-improved side, while a draw would be enough for them to secure their place in the last 16 with two games to spare.
Favre isn't getting ahead of himself though.
"With the exception of the game against Nuremberg all the games went back and forth, all of them were tough. All we can do is concentrate on our next game which is against Atletico Madrid," the coach said after Saturday's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg.
"I wasn't aware of the record. Of course I'm happy with that. The important thing is that we keep working on our own development. We've had a lot of players play nearly every game, but all of them can still improve, even in small increments. We've still got a few things to improve, technically and tactically."
Delaney thriving at Dortmund
While they are wary of a potential Atletico backlash, Dortmund's 15-game unbeaten streak is cause for confidence heading into their toughest game of the group stage. "We're determined to keep our streak going," said Axel Witselfollowing the Wolfsburg match.
The Belgian international has forged a formidable midfield partnership with fellow summer signing Thomas Delaney, who was signed as an "aggressive leader" in light of Dortmund's struggles last season.
"[Sporting director] Michael Zorc made it clear from our very first talks how important it [mental fortitude] was for him," the Danish international told German football publication kicker. "The topic was bubbling on the surface from Day 1: It was about getting rid of the negative feelings from last season. Now we've gone 15 games unbeaten and things are looking good."
Griezmann not sleeping on the Bundesliga
Tuesday's visitors, meanwhile, are suffering a mini-identy crisis. Atletico are cast in Simeone's image and, while they haven't always been easy on the eye during his tenure, their backline has been the hardest to breach in Europe – which is why the defeat to Dortmund raised so many eyebrows.
"We spoke among ourselves after the Dortmund defeat and I was convinced the players would respond the right way," said Simeone, who has since seen his side pick up two wins and a draw in all competitions.
Goal scoring has been an issue for Antoine Griezmann and Co. and, according to the World Cup winner, they're once again taking Dortmund seriously.
"The Bundesliga is a very attractive, attack-friendly league, which boasts a lot of goals as we experienced against Dortmund," Griezmann told kicker.
Motivated by the prospect of a final on home turf at the Wanda Metropolitano in June, this could still be Atletico's year. Dropping points against Dortmund for a second time though, would cast serious doubt over their title credentials.
