Champions League
Test of nerves in Madrid: BVB dreams of the semi-finals
Borussia Dortmund will also have to do without Donyell Malen in their first quarter-final duel with Atlético Madrid. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
At BVB, dreams of the first semi-final in the premier class since 2013 are growing. The task against Atlético Madrid seems unpleasant but feasible. A cool head is required in the cauldron.
The opponent is considered merciless, the coach is fanatical and the atmosphere in the Estadio Metropolitano is heated. For Borussia Dortmund, the first quarter-final duel will be in the Champions League at Atlético Madrid the ultimate test of nerves. Karim Adeyemi expects an unpleasant task in the Spanish capital on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN): “They don’t care how they play. The main thing is that they win.” Like the attacker, BVB coach Edin Terzic also began the trip with respect: “We know that they are extremely good, especially in knockout games.”
And BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl once again emphasized the special atmosphere in Madrid. “We know what to expect. There is a heated atmosphere in the stadium and their coach will push the team. We need a high level of resilience,” said Kehl on Tuesday before the team’s departure to the Spanish capital. The 44-year-old also emphasized: “It’s tingling and we’re looking forward to the task.”
Because it could have hit the fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga harder in the draw. Similar to Borussia, the “Rojiblancos” around the charismatic and hot-blooded coach Diego Simeone no longer have anything to do with the title race in the domestic league and are already in fourth place, 17 points behind their leading city rivals Real. Terzic expects a duel at eye level and encourages his professionals: “We’ll go there, get a good result and then experience a fantastic night in Dortmund six days later.”
The latest setback is not a bad omen for Watzke
Even the most recent setback in the fight for renewed entry into the Champions League last Saturday against Stuttgart (0-1) did not dissuade Dortmund from their belief in their first semi-final appearance since 2013. “We can fly to Madrid with a big heart, we are a great team,” said Adeyemi, who has been playing well recently. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck sounded no less confident: “We’ve already achieved a lot in the Champions League and deserve to be there. We don’t need to hide from anyone, we showed that in the group phase and in the round of 16.”
Despite all the frustration over the fall to fifth place in the Bundesliga, club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke did not see the 0-1 loss against VfB as a bad omen. “The team seems more stable to me. That makes me optimistic,” said the soon-to-be-departing BVB managing director to the “Ruhr Nachrichten”.
However, when tackling this difficult but solvable task, Donyell Malen will not make the comeback he had hoped for. Dortmund’s currently best attacker, who missed the last two league games against FC Bayern Munich (2-0) and Stuttgart due to a muscle injury, did not board the plane with his teammates on Tuesday morning. “Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for him,” said Kehl.
See you again with Witsel at the Atlético duel
With a win in the two games against the finalists from 2014 and 2016, BVB could significantly improve their poor season balance so far and record additional income of 12.5 million euros. When we see former BVB professional Axel Witsel again, a lot will depend on how Terzic’s team copes with the opponent’s defensive skills and their high efficiency in exploiting scoring opportunities.
It’s not just the 70,000 spectators in the cauldron at home that could be an advantage for the Spaniards. Because of the Spanish Cup final, Atlético had a weekend without a game and will go into the duel rested. Top scorer and leader Antoine Griezmann gave the direction: “We want to win all the games by the end of the season – in the league and in the Champions League.”