Dortmund duo keen to "enjoy" the final: "If you let too much pressure get to you, you'll lose"
| Photo: Borussia Dortmund/OneFootball |
In what will arguably be the biggest game of their careers so far for the majority of the Borussia Dortmund squad, the Black and Yellows cross swords with Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday.
At the final pre-match press conference on Friday, BVB duo Nico Schlotterbeck and Julian Brandt were asked how they are handling their nerves ahead of such a big experience.
“I spoke to Mats [Hummels] and Marco [Reus] about the 2013 final,” said Schlotterbeck on his teammates, who played in Dortmund's 2-1 final defeat to Bayern Munich 11 years ago.
“It's a football match, but it's a very special one. We have to concentrate on preparing and enjoy it, but we can't let too much pressure get to us. If you let too much pressure get to you, you'll lose,” he added.
Brandt spoke in a similar vein, saying:
“We try to remain calm. Of course, everything now is on a much bigger scale. You can't completely ignore it. But you can make everyday life as normal as possible. It's normal for there to be anticipation and excitement. Nevertheless, we try to take it as another match.”
“Despite all the pressure, we simply have to enjoy this game. It couldn't be better: playing a final against one of the best opponents in the world in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. You rarely experience that, maybe only once."