Dortmund confident about Sporting: “We will qualify”
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said it would be a “balanced” tie, but insisted the Germans must secure their place at home.
After reaching the final of last year’s UEFA Champions League , where they lost to Real Madrid (0-2), Dortmund want to return to the big stage, but to do so they must beat Sporting in the play-off for access to the round of 16.
Sebastian Kehl, Borussia’s sporting director, previewed the match and explained that it will be a balanced tie, downplaying the team’s poor form at national level – they are 11th in the Bundesliga – and also the change of coach from Nuri Sahin to Niko Kovac.
«Sporting are a challenging opponent and an exciting challenge. It will be a duel between evenly matched teams, but with the second leg at home… we will qualify», he said after the draw in Nyon, hoping that the Germans will qualify in the second leg, which will be held in Germany on 18/19 February.
