Borussia Dortmund travel to Barcelona for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg match with confidence after a second straight Bundesliga victory.
Dortmund won 4-1 in Freiburg on Saturday, a week after a 3-1 over Mainz, and believe that this turnaround in a modest domestic season can also inspire them in Europe against the Spanish league leaders.
“We have a mega opportunity in the Champions League, where we can play with freedom and will try to get everything possible against a very, very strong opponent,” goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said.
“The two victories against direct rivals were very, very important. We still have big ambitions.”
Dortmund reached the Champions League final last year while finishing only fifth in the Bundesliga. They now climbed into eighth in the league after the wins over Freiburg and Mainz, who are both ahead of them, in a late push to secure a place in Europe.
“The next important game is in Barcelona, a very different challenge because we’re up against one of the strongest teams in Europe there. We’ll have to be able to defend well. You could already see today that we’re capable of that,” coach Niko Kovac said.
Kovac will have Nico Schlotterbeck and Yan Couto back from suspensions in Freiburg, Serhou Guirassy and Felix Nmecha got their first minutes there after injury, and Chelsea loanee Carney Chukwuemeka was in the starting 11 for the first time and scored.
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl named Barca, who drew 1-1 with Real Betis on Saturday and are coached by former Bayern Munich and Germany helmsman Hansi Flick, “an outstanding team.
“But we still believe we have a chance in these two games. We’ll try to put ourselves in a good position” for the home leg, Kehl said.
Tuesday’s game is followed by a Bundesliga trip to leaders Bayern Munich on April 12, the return leg at home against Barca on April 15, and a Bundesliga home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, who are also ahead of them, on April 20.
“It can’t be any nicer than going to Munich then [after Barcelona] and to know that it won’t be any easier there either,” Kehl said.
But in light of plenty of ups and downs over the season, he added: “We have been saying for weeks that we are taking it game by game. That’s why I am relieved after this game and first of all looking forward to Barca.”
Kovac said that “we will see what comes out of it. The direction is right.” He named the games against Barca and Bayern “matches we all live for, we dream of as little boys.”
