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Spirits are high in the Dortmund camp following their summer tour of China. - © © gettyimages
Spirits are high in the Dortmund camp following their summer tour of China. - © © gettyimages

#BLWorld Tour: Dortmund reflect on China success

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Borussia Dortmund have returned to Germany following a hugely successful China trip.

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Die Schwarz-Gelben spent time in Shanghai and Shenzhen, where they met fans and sponsors, sampled Chinese culture and stepped up their preparations for the new campaign with high-profile friendlies against Premier League duo Manchester United FC and Manchester City FC.

"With the new signings in mind, I think we're gearing up nicely," concluded Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc following BVB's penalty shootout defeat to Man City on Thursday, clearly impressed with the performances of new recruits Marc Bartra, Ousmane Dembele, Mikel Merino, Emre Mor and Sebastian Rode.

"It was a very intense match, with both teams defending high up the pitch and both creating a lot of chances," added Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel. "We showed extraordinary spirit, the lads put in an impressive performance in both halves. I am satisfied with what I have seen."

Despite the end result in Shenzhen, Dortmund have every reason to be optimistic going into the new campaign. A 4-1 win over Manchester United underlined the smooth transition made by the club's summer acquisitions and highlighted the huge potential in the side, not least with Polish stalwarts Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszcyzkowsi, recent signings Raphael Guerreiro, Mario Götze and Andre Schürrle and the injured Marco Reus still to link up with the side.

The Dortmund players have been granted four days off ahead of the next leg of their pre-season preparations in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. As part of their eight-day stay in familiar Swiss surrounds, BVB will face Sunderland AFC and Athletic Club, before returning home to fine-tune for the Supercup clash with FC Bayern München on 14 August.

BVB kick off their Bundesliga title quest against Tuchel's former club 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 27 August, but not before taking on Eintracht Trier in the first round of the DFB Cup on 22 August.