Winners directly in the final four
The importance of the round of 16 duel with Metz is also exceptionally high because the winner moves directly into the Final Four tournament in Budapest at the beginning of June. Because the possible quarter-final opponent GK Rostov am Don from Russia has been excluded from the competition by the European association.
The task for Borussia could hardly be more difficult. Opponents Metz are dominating the French league this season: 19 games, 19 wins. “This isn’t just a David versus Goliath duel, it’s more of a little David versus Goliath“, says BVB department head Andreas Heiermann.
Metz recently strengthened its position with Olympic champion Grace Zaadi. The Frenchwoman previously belonged to the Rostov team but was allowed to leave due to the exclusion of the Russian team. In Dortmund they know Zaadi all too well from the group games against Rostov. The French scored 16 goals in two games against Borussia.
Huge economic differences
“We are guaranteed to have the lowest budget in our preliminary round group. By German standards, the conditions here are okay, but compared to the top European clubs, they’re stone age“, André Fuhr chooses clear words. Nevertheless, the Dortmund women hope for their outsider chance. “If we’re eliminated, everyone will say that was to be expected. But if we make progress, we are the heroes“, says Alina Grijseels.
For the first leg on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Helmut-Körnig-Halle, what is probably the biggest crowd that Borussia have ever experienced at their club’s home game is expected. Up to 2,500 spectators can be there. That’s why the club has stirred the advertising drum powerfully. Dortmund’s soccer star Erling Haaland also published a video message.
Extra explosiveness
The games against Metz get a spicy extra explosiveness from the fact that both clubs would normally have met in the play-offs a year ago. After Corona cases at Metz, department head Andreas Heiermann decided not to compete at the time.
For fear that his team would have had to be completely quarantined as contact persons. That cost Dortmund a fine of 10,000 euros from the European Association plus a six-figure deposit so that Borussia could even take part in this year’s Champions League competition.
Sixth in their preliminary round group, Dortmund have been able to annoy quite a few opponents this season. Against Metz, however, the BVB players have to pass twice. First on Saturday at home, just like in the second leg a week later in Metz. But the reward is nothing less than the greatest success in the club’s history.