The Dortmund view: 'A dream draw for all football fans'
Borussia Dortmund have shared their own delight and anticipation for the two-legged Europa League clash with Liverpool and former manager Jürgen Klopp next month.
The Reds and the Bundesliga side were paired together in Friday’s quarter-final draw, meaning a return to his previous employers for the German within a year of leaving.
Klopp was buoyed by the twist of fate and expects the whole football world to be watching on in April – and key figures at his old club are equally enthused with the upcoming tie.
“We want to test ourselves against the best, and once again we come up against a quality opponent,” said manager Thomas Tuchel, whose team eliminated Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
“It is a dream draw for all football fans; for us, in sporting terms, it is a massive challenge. We will require two outstanding performances to make it through, and we are looking forward to two top-tier games.”
Liverpool emerged from their first-ever European meeting against Barclays Premier League rivals Manchester United with a 3-1 aggregate victory after a draw at Old Trafford on Thursday.
They will now travel to Signal Iduna Park for the first leg with Dortmund on April 7 before a second encounter at Anfield a week later.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, BVB’s head of business operations, added: “Jürgen Klopp is coming home with Liverpool, and that will definitely be something very special for him.
“We were certain anyway that we would encounter the Reds at some stage during the competition, and now we are really looking forward to these two exceptionally exciting international duels.”
LFCTV GO subscribers can see Klopp's reaction to the draw below