Dortmund vs Real Madrid Former Freiburg man a big threat

Borussia Dortmund come into Tuesday night's game against Real Madrid suffering from a considerable loss: Marco Reus.

A partial tear to the cruciate ligament of his right knee means that the Germany international hasn't even been included in the club's Champions League squad.

However, his absence has given the man that many view as his 'twin brother', Maximilian Philipp, a chance to impress and the ex-Freiburg starlet has grasped the opportunity with both hands.

Physically, the way they play the game and their career trajectory are all similar.

Philipp arrived at Dortmund at the age of 23, just like Reus, after enjoying an outstanding season in the Bundesliga and the new man is just as adept at shooting with both feet, has a rapid turn of pace, excellent technique and is capable of playing in a variety of positions across the attack.

In short, as with Reus, he has all of the necessary requirements to fit in well at Dortmund.

Having failed to feature at Wembley in the 3-1 defeat against Tottenham, Philipp will hope to make his Champions League bow against the holders.

He is the most expensive sale in Freiburg's history after joining Dortmund on a 20 million euro deal plus bonuses, signing a contract until 2022 and fitting in perfectly with four goals and two assists in his six Bundesliga games.

A brace against Koln was followed up by another against Gladbach, with Philipp's performance in the latter game earning him big praise from Mario Gotze.

"He's an absolutely top player and always pops up in the key moments in a game," he said. "He trains like he plays and what you see on the training ground is what you see in the stadium.

"I'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun with him. Maxi is a great signing and he will repay all of the faith which the club showed in him."

'Mili', as he is also known, hasn't just impressed his colleagues and has also made a big impact on the staff at boardroom level.

"He's a very versatile player from the midfield onwards, has a lethal finish, a killer instinct and is one of the great prospects for the future," said coach Michael Zorc.

Last season, Philipp scored nine goals, two with his right foot and seven with his left, while also providing three assist to help newly-promoted Freiburg secure a Europa League berth.

Only Emil Forsberg (four) scored more goals from outside the box than 'Mili' in the Bundesliga during the 2016/17 season and that form has been carried into the new campaign.

Only Lars Stindl has created more chances for his teammates than Philipp this season, with the Dortmund ace managing 10.

Throughout last season, he also featured in the division's top 12 of players who attempted the most shots on goal and is now into the top five early this campaign for that particular statistic.

His rise has been quick since making his Bundesliga debut on April 5, 2014 by replacing Felix Klaus against Stuttgart but it wasn't truly until 2015/16 in the second tier when he exploded onto the scene as his eight goals and 11 assists proved pivotal in winning promotion.

During that time, the forward featured in a variety of positions but for now, under Peter Bosz, he has settled well in a wider left role.

"It was difficult to say no to Dortmund and I think that at 23, I'm mature enough to take a new step in my career so I want to keep growing," he said at his presentation during the summer.

Philipp arrived as a European Under-21 champion, boasting a record of 18 goals and 23 assists in 88 games with Freiburg, and Real Madrid must be very careful with the 'twin' of Reus.