On the eve of a huge game on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League, all is still calm in St. James’ Park in Newcastle. In the final training session ahead of the game, the Borussia Dortmund team have been familiarising themselves with the venue since 19:00 CET. At the pre-match press conference, Edin Terzic spoke about what he expects will happen here on Wednesday evening (kick-off: 21:00 CET).

Boris Rupert reporting from Newcastle

“I once had the pleasure of playing here with West Ham. The atmosphere is really exceptional for an English club. We know that it will be heated and that they will try to transmit that energy down to the pitch, but we know that atmosphere all too well from our home games,” stressed the head coach.

Borussia Dortmund have kept to their usual processes and are hoping to build on the success of the past few weeks – including in the difficult away wins, such as the games in Freiburg and Hoffenheim. “We have a chance to prove ourselves again. In Paris, we didn’t perform well, and yes, we sometimes shied away from the challenge in away games last season,” said team captain Emre Can, adding: “We have performed well in the last few away matches and we are here to win the game. We know we need the points, and that is how we will approach the game.”

Full-back Julian Ryerson, whose name was still on the passenger and room list, but who came down with an infection overnight, will miss the game. The news “came as a surprise,” Terzc said: “Tomorrow, someone else will have the chance to show how important they can be for our team.”

The Black and Yellows are facing opposition with a strong physical presence and on a good run of form. “They are really good, and have been for some time now,” said Terzic about the team who finished fourth in the Premier League last season. “They have been building this team for nearly a year and a half and are making smart transfers. They qualified for the Champions League through the Premier League, which is the most difficult way.”

In the Champions League, Newcastle have four points to their name, following a 0-0 draw in Milan and a 4-1 home win against PSG. “They are top of the table in this group that it such a tough one,” Terzic said on the task facing his side: “But they’re only three points away from us. We need a really good performance. And we want to use that good performance to earn a victory.” Then the situation in Group F would look very different for BVB. Emre Can and co. are looking to seize the opportunity: “In every game, we have the chance to show what we can do all over again. And that starts tomorrow.”