Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck: "We should voice Bundesliga title ambition"
Nico Schlotterbeck has said Borussia Dortmund must "have the ambition” to tell their passionate fans loud and clear they want to win the Bundesliga title this season.
Dortmund were a distant second, 11 points behind leaders Bayern Munich after Matchday 18. But the reigning champions have lost and drawn one apiece of their last two matches, while BVB have banked a maximum haul to reduce the gap to three points after their Matchday 21 win in Wolfsburg.
With Bayern coming to the Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 24, whispers that Dortmund are now genuine title challengers have grown louder.
“As BVB, we have to have the ambition to say to our fans that we want to be champions,” said Schlotterbeck following the Matchday 20 3-2 victory over Heidenheim.
Watch: Dortmund down Heidenheim
Dortmund followed their convincing 3-0 win at Union Berlin on Matchday 19 with triumphs over Heidenheim and Wolfsburg to up the pressure on Bayern, who were held at Hamburg, having suffered their first league defeat of the campaign against Augsburg in their previous top-flight outing.
Niko Kovač’s men had to come from behind against Heidenheim, with Serhou Guirassy netting a brace, before the Guinean struck late to secure all three points in Wolfsburg as Die Schwarzgelben reminded Bayern of their looming presence.
Watch: Serhou Guirassy strikes late as Dortmund beat Wolfsburg
“The lads noticed during the week how fired up I am for it,” Schlotterbeck said after victory in Wolfsburg.
“It’s extremely important that we have the focus and the belief to challenge at the top.”
Dortmund grasped their opportunity to close the gap on Bayern, who host in-form Hoffenheim, currently in third after winning five Bundesliga games in a row, on Sunday.
Hot on the heels of Germany’s record champions, the Black and Yellows are now ready to pounce on any further slip-ups their title rivals may endure.
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