Edin Terzic and his team will board the plane to Munich today with "huge respect for the opposition, for the challenge and for the situation" – and with a clear goal for the table-topping match on Saturday: "We've created a huge opportunity. We want to protect it."

"It's getting to the business end of the season," Borussia Dortmund's head coach said ahead of the clash between first and second at the Allianz-Arena on Saturday (kick-off 18:30 CET), while also still keeping a firm eye on the gap to fifth place. "We've achieved a lot. We want to protect it."

"We're aware of our opportunity"

Terzic came across not as euphoric but as highly optimistic a day before a game which literally the whole world will be watching. 190 countries can watch live on TV. Some 8,000 BVB fans will be doing their utmost to support the team, which has developed into a tight-knit unit over the course of the last few weeks. "The being there for each other and the energy make me feel positive. We're on a good run, we're aware of our opportunity. And we want to seize this opportunity. The fact that we can name a line-up based on the players that are in form again also makes me confident."

However, the switching of coaches in Munich has changed "the preparation for the opposition a bit", revealed Terzic. He has additionally watched a few Chelsea matches from the period during which Thomas Tuchel sat in the dugout at Stamford Bridge. It has not, however, changed the scenario heading into the match. "We know that Bayern will want to produce a top performance, especially against us and especially at home. What has not changed is the fact that they will still have a top coach on the bench and a top team on the pitch."

"How courageous we were in possession there..."

In his preparation for the match, Edin Terzic has cast another glance at England: not only at London – as a reference point for Bayern – but at Manchester too. The performance by his team in the Champions League group match away to Manchester City in mid-September of last year could serve as a blueprint for the upcoming clash in Munich. "How courageous we were in possession there, how passionately we defended our goal and how we forced them to run 118 kilometres: we want to build on that and produce a really good performance tomorrow."

Minimise the risk and decisively seize the opportunity going forward – that's how the coach wants to prepare his side to play. We want to play our football regardless of the building," he said, alluding to the team's new-found strength on the road: four of the past five away games have ended in victory, with points dropped only in the draw at Schalke. The Black & Yellows can also build on this run and the self-confidence that comes with it. In any case, Edin Terzic promised: "We want to do everything in our power to ensure that we fly back with the same euphoria we're flying to Munich with."
Boris Rupert