DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said Tuesday his team would be “brave” against a Paris Saint-Germain side in danger of exiting the Champions League in the group stage.
PSG need to win at Dortmund on Wednesday to guarantee progress to the knockout stages alongside their hosts, who have already qualified.
If PSG draw or lose, the French champions will need Newcastle and Milan to share the points in their match to avoid an early elimination.
“They know they need a win, but they know we also want the win,“ Terzic told reporters on Tuesday.
The coach said his side would need to defend PSG’s “world-class Kylian Mbappe” as a team.
“It doesn’t matter which player plays one-on-one against Kylian Mbappe, it will always be difficult.”
Mbappe scored as PSG won 2-0 in Paris in September, Dortmund’s only loss in the Champions League this season.
PSG are top of Ligue 1 after winning their past eight matches, but Luis Enrique’s side have lost both away fixtures in the Champions League this season.
Dortmund are only fifth in the Bundesliga after just one win in their past six games but have impressed in Europe, qualifying from a tough group with a match to spare.
Currently first in Group F, Dortmund will go through to the last 16 as winners by avoiding defeat on Wednesday.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck said simply qualifying for the knockouts was not enough.
“If you finish first, you might have an easier opponent,“ he said.
PSG eliminated Dortmund in the competition in 2020 but Terzic insisted that in itself was not motivation.
“I find revenge to be the wrong word in sport,“ he said.
“What motivates me is to win games and to walk off the pitch as victors.
“We want to show the fans a great game.”
Dortmund go into the fixture without a number of players including captain Emre Can, who is suspended.
Marcel Sabitzer and Marius Wolf are fitness doubts, while Felix Nmecha, Youssoufa Moukoko and Julian Ryerson will not play again in 2023 due to injury. –AFP
