Borussia Dortmund’s Edin Terzic seeking positive spark in crucial Milan Champions League clash

BERLIN – Edin Terzic’s Borussia Dortmund can seal a spot in the Champions League last 16 by winning at AC Milan on Nov 28, sparking some positivity amid a stuttering domestic campaign.

Already 10 points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen after just 12 games, Terzic’s men have however impressed on the European stage this season.

Dortmund sit first in a Champions League group which includes Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United, having conceded just two goals in four matches.

In the league, however, they are shipping more than 1.5 goals per game on average and look out of the title race with only a third of the season gone.

Now at the helm for almost 1½ years, Terzic has faced heavy criticism in Germany, with some calling for the 41-year-old’s head.

Terzic and those in charge at Signal Iduna Park can help to silence the chatter by securing progress to the knockout phase against last season’s semi-finalists.

Speaking at Dortmund’s AGM on Nov 26, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke contrasted his side’s performances in the league with their showings in Europe.

“We were hoping for two or three more points (in the league) at this stage,” Watzke said, “but the sky isn’t falling.

“We are in first place in the (Champions League) group which cannot be overestimated. The group is fragile and anything can happen.

“On Tuesday, we have a chance to qualify early with a win. I wouldn’t have dared to dream of that at the time of the draw. That’s the truth.”

Watzke said the club had “been exposed to a media barrage for months that I have not experienced in ages”.

He added: “I have to double-check every week that we’re not fighting relegation!”

The CEO, who took over in 2005 and helped save Dortmund from financial ruin, said “we beat Newcastle, but even then they say ‘well they’re not that good either’.”

Despite the criticism, Watzke has been Terzic’s main advocate, often calling for patience for the Dortmund-born-and-raised coach.

The CEO has drawn parallels between Terzic and former mentor Jurgen Klopp, who did not finish in the top four until his third season in charge, when he won the league.

Dortmund drew the reverse fixture 0-0 with Milan in October and another draw, or a loss, would most likely mean the German side need to beat PSG at home in December to progress.

Captain Emre Can, the former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder, said at the AGM that the Milan game “won’t be easy at all but we’ll try and win”.

He added: “We are on top of the table. We don’t need to hide... we want to measure ourselves against the best.”

Watzke also primed his troops for the challenge, saying: “We live for games like this.” AFP