Football teacher Eddie Howe is heading into the second Champions League duel with Borussia Dortmund with great confidence despite Newcastle United’s 1-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg.
“We have improved more and more, are in a good mood and feel very good about the last two results,” said the 45-year-old, referring to the two wins against Manchester United (3-0) and Arsenal FC (1-0 ) within a few days.
Looking forward to the game
Regardless of the many failures of regulars like former Dortmund player Alexander Isak, Howe is hoping for a successful revenge early in the evening (6.45 p.m./Prime Video): “But we have to play better than we did two weeks ago.” Howe did not see Borussia’s clear 4-0 defeat against FC Bayern three days earlier in the Bundesliga summit as an advantage: “Such things can happen. Bayern scored the goals at the right time. They were two very good teams.”
Similar to the coach, the Swiss Fabian Schär’s anticipation of the game predominates, with all due respect for the passionate atmosphere in the Dortmund stadium. The team spirit should help to master the task: “In the last two years we have been on an incredible journey. I have never experienced such solidarity in any other team.”
Edin Terzic is not surprised by the ongoing upward trend among his opponents. “This is a big team that has been playing at a top level for almost a year and a half,” said the Dortmund coach, praising the sixth-placed team in the Premier League before the duel at the sold-out Signal Iduna Park. “We don’t need any warning. We know about their quality.”
Connoisseur of English football
Since his time as assistant coach at West Ham United (2015 to 2017), Terzic has been considered an expert on English football. In his opinion, the defeat in the first leg should provide additional motivation for the opponents: “We know that they were not happy about the 0-1 result and are now under a bit of pressure. The game in Newcastle was already very open. We are ready for a similar one open game on Tuesday.”
As third in the table, BVB is level with Newcastle in second place on points (4 each). A defeat could significantly worsen the acceptable starting position in the difficult Group F with the other opponents AC Milan (2 points) and Paris Saint-Germain (6). “We have a great chance of winning the direct comparison against Newcastle. We especially have to use our home games. That’s why it’s a very important game for us,” said Terzic.
