Malaga’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals on their debut despite the club’s off the field problems proves the Spanish team cannot be underestimated, said Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.
Malaga host the German champions in the first leg tonight following a close season of uncertainty over the commitment of their Qatari owners and cash-flow problems that prompted a ban from Uefa competition next term.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini and his experienced squad have propelled the Costa del Sol club to unprecedented heights and they topped Group C ahead of seven-times European champions AC Milan before dispatching 2004 winners Porto in the last round.
“The way they (the players) have dealt with the difficult situation in the club underlines their mentality and that’s what makes them so dangerous,” Klopp told a news conference at Malaga’s Rosaleda stadium yesterday.
Klopp said defender Marcel Schmelzer, who broke his nose in Saturday’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory at VfB Stuttgart, may have to play in a face mask but should be available along with injury doubts Jakub Blaszczykowski and Sven Bender.
