Speaking at the Borussia Dortmund press conference (via @bvbnewsblog) ahead of the Champions League final against Real Madrid, head coach Edin Terzic has given his thoughts on the final.
It is fair to say that Dortmund is the underdogs in this game but Terzic is not ruling out his side: “A final is not there just to be played, but to be won.” Terzic expanded on what his team does well: “We are the team that has the most clean sheets. That was one of the keys to the final. We certainly weren’t in top form in September, but now we’re a completely different team.”
Terzic also said the mood in the camp is good: “A lot of anticipation, a lot of desire. We are so convinced that we will put on a good game on Saturday.”
This will be Dortmund’s third Champions League final ever after first making the final in 1997, which they won after beating Juventus 3-1 and the second was in 2013 when Dortmund lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich at Wembley.
Against Real Madrid, Dortmund will need a performance like their semi-final performance against PSG to have a chance of beating the 14-time winners Madrid. There will also be an emotional side to Dortmund’s attempt to win the Champions League as this will be Marco Reus’ final ever game for Dortmund before leaving in the summer as his contract expires.
With the Champions League changing its format next season, it would be a great way to end this format of the competition with an underdog win, something that we haven’t seen since Chelsea beat Bayern at the Allianz Arena in 2012.
GGFN | Jack Meenan