The flight from Dortmund to London Stansted Airport, where the Black & Yellows were met with a mixture of sunshine and clouds, lasted one hour. Baggage collection and transfer from the airport, which is located on the outskirts of the city, into the centre lasted twice as long.

Boris Rupert reporting from London

Having checked in to their hotel, which is only several minutes away from Wembley Stadium, the team got down to business as usual: a meeting and food followed by the final training session, which is scheduled to begin at 20:00 CET.

"We seem to travel to London or Madrid almost every year. The only thing that changes in London is the opposition," joked Hans-Joachim Watzke prior to departure. Borussia Dortmund are playing European football for the eighth year in a row. They have made trips to England in all eight of those years and played in London in five of them – including the 2013 Champions League final.

Kicking off their Group H campaign with an away trip to Tottenham will be a real challenge for the Black & Yellows, who have reached the knockout stages of whatever European competition they have been in every season since 2012. "We know how tough it will be," declared Watzke. "Tottenham are a top team that have developed very well over the years. In addition, the club have the financial clout to fend off approaches for their best players." However, the BVB boss was quick to point out: "But we have a good team as well. It would be good if we could score there and, in an ideal-case scenario, get some points on the board. Because I think that our head-to-head record with Tottenham could prove important. I can't imagine that Real will finish in third place."

BVB's chances of leaving London with a result have been rendered all the more difficult by the absences of Marcel Schmelzer and Marc Bartra, who have joined Marco Reus, Raphael Guerreiro and André Schürrle on the injury list. "Having three full-backs with long-term injuries must be a European record," said Watzke, who was also referring to Erik Durm's lengthy absence. As for the captain's plight, the CEO said: "I feel incredibly sorry for Marcel."

Those who are fit need to approach the game with courage and focus. "We need to play with courage," demanded Watzke, who believes his side have every chance of getting a result. "Wembley is a bit wider than the Schwarzwald-Stadion in Freiburg, and I'm also assuming that the English will opt for a different tactical approach, which will suit us."