17 March 2015
Borussia Dortmund duo Jurgen Klopp and Mats Hummels say they will be aiming to make their passionate home support work in their favour when they attempt to overturn the Bianconeri’s one-goal advantage tomorrow night in Dortmund.
Amidst the roar of a sell-out crowd at the Westfalenstadion, though, Klopp warned of the need for cool heads after witnessing the Bianconeri pounce twice on the counter during their Champions League last 16 first leg triumph in Turin.
Previewing the game in Dortmund, the 47-year-old said: “We need to keep our calm because we conceded twice on the counter in the first leg. We’ve got a real challenge on our hands: to beat an Italian side who only require a draw to go through.
“If we want to get through to the next round we’ll need to do our very best to help our fans produce a special atmosphere.
“Juventus will put in a disciplined and organised defensive display. Keeping a clean sheet is what counts and that won’t be easy. Having said that, the game wouldn’t necessarily be over if we did concede one. We’ve got the opportunity to get through, and we’ll focus on achieving that.”
Hummels says the hosts must sharpen up their cutting edge in the final third following back-to-back Bundesliga goalless draws against Cologne and Hamburg - but remains confident chances will come their way throughout the course of Wednesday evening’s encounter.
The 26-year-old added: “We’ve got home advantage on our side and we must profit from this by capturing our supporters’ imaginations through our play. It’s true we didn’t create a great deal in our last matches against Cologne and Hamburg, but I think we’ll have more opportunities tomorrow.”
Whilst in search of the goal that would tip the tie in their favour, the centre-back believes he and his defensive cohorts will also have their work cut out down the other end, where the likes of Carlos Tevez, Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba will be looking to make their presence felt.
“Juventus have great quality: Tevez and Morata are a very dangerous strike partnership and Pogba’s capable of finding the target from range. We know all about their strengths and we’ll try to stop them.”
