Sancho to miss Dortmund's ‘brutally difficult’ task against City

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund have a mountain to climb in their Champions League quarter-final return leg against Manchester City on Wednesday, coach Edin Terzic said, with winger Jadon Sancho ruled out

Dortmund suffered a 2-1 loss in the first leg last week in Manchester, conceding a late goal.

They then earned a nervous 3-2 victory at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

"Belief is big but belief alone will not be enough," Terzic told a virtual news conference on Tuesday. "We played a good game last week and showed we can keep pace with a top team.

"It was frustrating that we conceded a late goal. So now we cannot focus just on defence. We have to be attacking. It will be a brutally difficult task. So believing is not enough. We also need hard work.

"It's is about showing we can play against the best team in the world and maybe eliminate the best team in the world from the competition."

Terzic said England international Sancho would not be fit in time for the game despite making progress in his comeback from injury. He has been sidelined since early March.

Several other players, including Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, have been nursing knocks and a final decision will be taken on matchday, he said.

"We have the training session tonight and then tomorrow morning. For Jadon unfortunately it is too soon. We would have wished to have him. Unfortunately he is not an option," Terzic added.