Marco Rose: “We want to write our own history in the Champions League”
By Tushar Bahl
Marco Rose is looking forward to getting started in the UEFA Champions League, and wants to write a successful story in the competition with Borussia Dortmund.
Marco Rose is set to make his UEFA Champions League debut with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday as they go up against Turkish Süper Lig champions Besiktas JK in Istanbul. The BVB head coach spoke about his confidence in his team’s ability during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, but also warned that they cannot afford to take Besiktas lightly.
"“We are prepared for the game,” Rose said. “We know it’s one of the loudest stadiums in Europe. We expect a Champions League level opponent with a lot of quality going forward, that defends aggressively and has signed an exceptional player in Miralem Pjanic. We know what to expect. But we also know what we’re capable of.”"
Marco Rose also praised the Black and Yellows for putting together a stunning run of results last season to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. The 45 year old added that now they want to write their own history in the completion.
"“We’ve got off to a decent start in the Pokal and the Bundesliga. Now it’s time for the Champions League. The guys put together a fantastic run of results at the end of last season to get here, because they want to play in games like these.”“And now we want to write our own history in this competition.”"
Perhaps Rose can take some inspiration from last season, when his Borussia Mönchengladbach side overcame the odds and qualified for the Champions League round of 16 despite being in a group that featured Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk. Borussia Dortmund will fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds, and their main aim will be to make a deep run in the competition this season.
Next. The lowdown on Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League group stage opponents. dark
But before they can get to the knockout rounds, Borussia Dortmund must first navigate their way through what should be a very competitive group featuring Sporting CP, AFC Ajax and Besiktas JK. All four teams have squads filled with talented players. And it will be interesting to see which team finishes top of the group come December.