Borussia Dortmund have issued a scathing statement in response to Atalanta's strict ticketing decision for their Champions League second leg encounter at the New Balance Arena.
La Dea have informed BVB that non-German fans of the club won't be allowed to attend the game in Bergamo next week, something which hasn't gone down well with the Bundesliga side.
The club revealed the rationale behind the move was safety regulations as certain Dortmund fans would not be allowed to purchase tickets for the away tie.
Dortmund, who host Atalanta at the Signal Iduna Park for the first leg of the intermediate playoffs later tonight, issued a strongly worded statement condeming the move.
""Excluding parts of our fan base represents a blatant breach of values and a form of discrimination for Borussia Dortmund – both with regard to the fundamental principles of Borussia Dortmund and the pan-European values of international football. Borussia Dortmund has explicitly and decisively spoken out against these restrictions in order to enable all BVB fans to attend our away matches. Borussia Dortmund has therefore been in intensive discussions with Atalanta Bergamo and UEFA for several days and expects a positive result in the short term following the developments of the recent talks."said Dortmund.
The New Balance Arena has a capacity of upto 25,000 seats, with the away section accounting for a mere 1,304 of that.
Atalanta host Dortmund on 25 February in a decisive clash as the sides battle it out for a place in the round of 16, where a potential clash with either Arsenal or Bayern Munich awaits.
Dortmund play Atalanta in pulsating clash tonight
In a clash of two sides enjoying a strong domestic run, Dortmund and Atalanta come up against each other for the first time in the Champions League.
Indeed, their only prior competitive meeting came in the last-16 of the Europa League back in 2018 where Dortmund prevailed 4-2 on aggregate.
Der BVB have won their last six Bundesliga games in a row, while La Dea are unbeaten in their last nine domestic clashes, even winning their most recent three.
As the rivals come into the fixture with so much steam, the first leg promises to be a stellar tactical battle between these two talented sides.
Dortmund will rely on their amazing home record for the season as well as Serhou Guirassy's attacking flair while Atalanta bank of their stoic defense which has kept four clean sheets from their last six competitive fixtures in all competitions.