Things are now getting serious for Thomas Tuchel, World Cup winners and internationals at Borussia Dortmund. Ahead of the new manager’s first competitive game, chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke has made the targets clear: “We want to be in the group stage of the Europa League at any cost,” stresses the 59-year-old. In that respect the pressure is already on, also because Dortmund are clear favourites for the first leg of the third-round qualifier this evening in Klagenfurt. The opponents for the tie are Wolfsberger AC from the Austrian Bundesliga.
Jürgen Klopp is in the past – Dortmund are beginning a new era after a strange last season. Manager Tuchel has been working on the new Dortmund was enormous intensity and meticulousness in the last four weeks and has been capturing the imagination of his team with his methods. The 41-year-old has clearly been successful with his first small step out of the long shadow of the charismatic Klopp. Now it’s all about the results.
Tuchel has good feeling after 2-0 against Juve
After missing out on the Champions League, the Europa League is more than a second chance. “This is about more than money,” emphasizes Watzke. And it is the only competition that Dortmund has not yet won. In short, former Mainz manager Tuchel is feeling the high expectations of his new workplace as the encounter approaches against the team that finished fifth in last season’s Austrian Bundesliga. The second leg will be played on 6th August.
With a strong performance in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over Juventus, Tuchel has whetted the fan’s appetite for the Europa League and the Bundesliga. He is certainly not tired of suggesting that a progressive development could possibly last until the end of the first half of the season. Tuchel, however, is going into the season with “a good feeling”.
The third-round qualifiers are followed by the playoffs on 20th and 27th August for final qualification to the group stage. World Cup winner Mats Hummels, however, is thinking even further: “If we qualify then we also have to progress,” says the 26-year-old. “That is our minimum goal and non-negotiable.”
Wolfsberger AC: "Game of the year against Dortmund"
Wolfsberg are a new entity for the side from Westphalia. Former Wolfsburg player Dietmar Kühbauer is the current manager of the side from Carinthia, who recently beat Schalke 3-1 in a friendly. WAC, however, lost their opening game of the new season last Sunday with a 2-0 loss to Austria Vienna at home.
“As long as we’re still involved, we’ll keep fighting,” says Wolfsberg’s president Dietmar Riegler. “Borussia Dortmund is the game of the year for Carinthia and for the entire club.” The 32,000 capacity Wörthersee-Stadion in Klagenfurt was quickly sold out. 6000 Dortmund fans will make the journey to watch Tuchel’s team live.
