Zimpapers Logo

BERLIN. — Borussia Dortmund hope to bring down the curtain on Jurgen Klopp’s seven years as head coach by lifting the German Cup on his swansong in today’s final against VfL Wolfsburg.

The 47-year-old announced in April he would be leaving at the end of the season with Thomas Tuchel set to replace him as head coach next season by following the same path from Mainz.

All that remains is the cup final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium as Dortmund hunt their fourth major trophy under Klopp after winning the 2011 league title and the Bundesliga and Cup double of 2012.

Klopp has made it no secret that he wants one more open-top bus tour through Dortmund, just like in 2011 and 2012. Wolfsburg have never won the German Cup, but Dortmund need little extra motivation.

They want to win the cup for the fourth time in the club’s history to send Klopp off in style along with ex-Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl, who will retire after the game.

“The coach has always given everything for us, now we want to pay him back by lifting the trophy,” said Germany defender Erik Durm. A victory in Berlin would also give Dortmund a direct Europa League place next season, but defeat means they would have to go through qualifying round with arch-rivals Schalke, who finished sixth in the table, going straight through to the group stage.

“It’s not really about what Schalke are up to or if Wolfsburg should lose. We just want to make sure it is us who lift the cup,” said Klopp, before his 318th and final Dortmund game in charge.

Having beaten holders Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on penalties in the semi-finals, victory in Berlin would go a long way to making up for a poor season by Dortmund. Klopp’s side started February bottom of the table and eventually ended up seventh in the Bundesliga, but it was a far cry from finishing second to Bayern for the last two years. —AFP.