Borussia Dortmund v Juventus: Klopp would welcome dramatic conclusion

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp says he would welcome a dramatic conclusion to his side’s UEFA Champions League last-16 clash with Juventus.

The Bundesliga side fell to a 2-1 defeat in Turin three weeks ago, with Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata scoring either side of an 18th-minute Marco Reus effort.

The result leaves Dortmund needing to beat Juve on Wednesday, but the German side have suffered defeat in their last three home meetings with the Serie A giants.

“I don’t know if it needs to be exciting until the end, but if it gets dramatic, that means we are still in the race at that point – and that would be positive,” Klopp told UEFA.com.

Until that first-leg clash with Juve, the Champions League had been a rare source of positivity for Dortmund, who spent the first half of their domestic campaign battling at the bottom end of the table, but Klopp insists he never questioned his side’s playing style.

“Well, it’s okay to ask questions [of yourself], but not to put our system into question,” he added. “It’s not as dogmatic as it may seem: the players are not told to give the ball to the opposition so we have a chance to win it back – that’s just nonsense.

“Even in the first part of the season there were a few good games, and we gained some confidence in the Champions League by winning matches.

“So we are not like a rabbit in the headlights, just standing there, shivering, unable to perform.”

Meetings between Dortmund and Juve have been relatively rare, but the last one before the first leg of this tie proved memorable for the former, as Karl-Heinz Riedle scored twice and Lars Ricken was on target in a 3-1 triumph against Juve in the 1996-97 Champions League final.

Dortmund’s name has not been engraved on the trophy since then, with their Wembley defeat to Bayern two years ago the closest they have come.

Juve’s wait has been longer – the Italians were the holders when Dortmund won it – and Massimiliano Allegri will be without the services of the influential Andrea Pirlo after the midfielder failed a fitness test on Monday.

Martin Caceres is also sidelined having undergone ankle surgery last week, while Dortmund are unlikely to risk Kevin Grosskreutz (hamstring) and Nuri Sahin (groin).