Klopp: Shakhtar won't have it easy
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp says that the German side will not go easy on Shakhtar Donetsk when both sides meet at the Donbass Arena on Wednesday.
By FOX Sports Staff
Dortmund head into the clash as favourites against Shakhtar, who have recently sold star midfielder Willian and are currently in the off-season break.
However, Klopp is not taking his opponents for granted and aims to get a strong result for the return leg at the Westfalianstadion two weeks later.
"Different parameters determine performance, playing in the league is only one of them," Klopp said.
"(Shakhtar) have unbelievable quality in their squad, their starting 11 is brilliant and so is their bench.
"They just got Taison 20 million euros cheaper than the other one (Willian, who left for Anzhi Makhachkala in the January transfer window), it's unbelievable.
"They have an impressive midfield with Fernandinho.
"It will be a massive challenge for us. Different parameters determine performance, playing in the league is only one of them," Klopp said.
"They will say to themselves 'We want to win the Champions League this year,' and the observers believe that they have a chance.
"However, for that, they will have to kick us out [of the competition], but we intend to be a really unpleasant opponent and build us a solid foundation for the second leg fixture at home."
Dortmund will also be looking to bounce back after going down to a shock 4-1 defeat against Hamburg over the weekend.
"We weren't good against Hamburg and deserved to lose, we'll be better on Wednesday," said Klopp with his side looking to reach the last eight for the first time since 1998.