Ricken looks forward to the Champions League: The first goal is to reach the last 16, and everything is possible in the knockout stage

In the first round of the Champions League, Dortmund will play away against Bruges. Before leaving with the team, Dortmund Sports General Manager Ricken accepted an interview with the media.

Finally, the Champions League has begun again. Of course, we have high expectations for ourselves. We had a great journey last season and reached the final, and now we start a new journey.

Of our five new players, only Giraci has played in the Champions League before. Although Piszczek and Sahin played in the Champions League as players, they have not coached a Champions League game. We are looking forward to hearing the Champions League theme song, the atmosphere here, and the new competition format.

Of course, there is a certain degree of uncertainty. I think the draw is relatively boring, but I believe the new competition format will be interesting. Every goal scored or conceded may mean a rise or fall of four or five places in the ranking. We look at all this with a positive attitude and we definitely want to reach the round of 16.

Our first goal is to reach the round of 16. If you average about two points per game, then you may be ranked eighth or ninth, it depends on us. If we perform better, we will qualify directly for the knockout stage, if not, we will have to take a detour (through the play-offs).

But in any case, our goal is of course to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Once you reach the knockout stage, as last season showed, everything is possible.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are familiar opponents for us, and of course these are huge challenges. This game is away to Brugge, playing in a small stadium, and they are at the top of the league, have won four games in a row and are in very good form.

It will be a big challenge, but we are ready for it. Bologna and Zagreb are attractive destinations for the team and our fans, especially Dinamo Zagreb, who have a very hot atmosphere at home. You have to perform well in every game because, in the end, every point is important.

We knew from the beginning that he would be a very important player, and when we learned about his injury during the signing process, no one wanted to give up on the deal. He has shown his ability and his performance against Heidenheim surprised me a little, but it also shows how professional and serious he is in his recovery process.

In the first 12 minutes of the game, he was fouled 4 times but he didn't flinch at all. He had a strong presence on the field, controlled the ball well, pressed the opponent effectively and made smart passes, the one he missed to Adeyemi was an example. Girasi is a very complete player and we value more than just his goal scoring ability.

You can see how he held back the central defenders against Heidenheim and created more space for our wingers. The wingers can dribble and show their individual skills. Girasi has a high football intelligence and does not squeeze the space for the wingers.

I think we have a lot of flexibility in the midfield and can bring new vitality to the game, Nmega is a good example. He gave his all in the summer training this year and won the game against Heidenheim and played very well.

Yes, it is definitely a challenge and it is a heavy burden for the players. We have not only four tournaments - the Bundesliga, the German Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup - but actually a fifth one because we have a lot of internationals, we have 16 players on international duty and they play eight to 10 more games.

So it's crucial to manage the minutes and have a strong squad, and I believe we did that. Last week against Heidenheim we made five changes and it was important to trust the players.

In the old format, if you did well in the second leg, you could make up for a loss or a draw in the first leg. Now you have to do well in every game in the league phase, which is certainly a challenge.