Borussia Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin names 27-year-old star as his favorite Barcelona player ahead of UCL clash
Borussia Dortmund maanger Nuri Sahin has named midfielder Frenkie de Jong as his favorite Barcelona player. He said he was excited to face the Dutchman and the Catalan side in their upcoming Champions League game in Wednesday, December 11.
Speaking in a press conference, Sahin named De Jong as his favorite player in the Barcelona side. He did not explain his pick and simply said (via GetFootballNews):
“Frenkie de Jong is my favorite Barça player.”
However, he did take time to talk about Barcelona and heaped praise on manager Hansi Flick. He praised the German as an exceptional coach and said:
“They are a very strong opponent, with an exceptional coach who, in a short time, was able to instill his idea in the team. It is a team that presses very high and they have a clear system of pressing and counter-pressing.
“It is a special match for me when I play against Barca in the Champions League as coach of Borussia Dortmund, but every match in the Champions League has its own character. There is no favorite team To win, we have the ability to win, and Barca does as well, so the general condition of the team on the day of the match will play a decisive role.”
Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund have 12 points from their opening five matches this season in the Champions League. They can go level on points with leaders Liverpool with a win on Wednesday.
Borussia Dortmund struggling with injury issues ahead of Barcelona clash
Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin also talked about his side's injury issues heading into the game against Barcelona. Julian Brandt, Waldemar Anton, Filippo Mane and Niklas Sule will all miss the game.
Karim Adeyemi is back in training but Sahin does not want to risk him yet. He said:
“Niklas will be absent for several months due to injury. Karim Adeyemi continues recovery training with the team, but he has not participated since early October. We have to evaluate, carefully consider whether it makes sense to bring him in directly after a long period of absence, and as for Emre Can, although he is not fully fit, he very much wanted to participate in the match with Mönchengladbach, and this reflects his strong personality.”
The two sides last met in 2019, with the Catalan side winning 3-1 at home. Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez scored for them, with Jadon Sancho pulling one back for Dortmund late in the match.