Edin Terzic has warned Borussia Dortmund they will have to be even better than they were at St James’ Park if they are to complete a Champions League double over Newcastle.
Felix Nmecha’s goal secured a priceless 1-0 victory on Tyneside a fortnight ago to belatedly kickstart the Bundesliga side’s campaign, although they needed the help of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and the woodwork to return to Germany with three points.
They will head into the return at the Signal Iduna Stadium still smarting from Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing by arch-rivals Bayern Munich, and with head coach Terzic expecting a Magpies backlash.
He said: “We need to improve because we know that they (Newcastle) are not happy with the way that they performed at St James’ Park and they will want to do much better tomorrow, so if they are going to do it better, we have to do it better.
“That’s something we have focused on, this is something we’re going to talk about with the team this afternoon, again to be ready for tomorrow, and then we’ve got to do everything to also use the chance to get a home win tomorrow and make a big step in the group.”
Victory against the Magpies eased Dortmund into second place in Group F, above Eddie Howe’s men – who also have four points from their first three fixtures – by virtue of their head-to-head record.
But Terzic, who has doubts over skipper Emre Can and defender Ramy Bensebaini, is acutely aware of the task facing his team, with Newcastle having edged past Arsenal 1-0 in a Premier League arm-wrestle on Saturday evening.
Asked if that served as a warning, he said: “To be honest, we don’t need a warning because of course we know the quality of Newcastle. We found out how good they are two weeks ago.
“Then they’ve had three games since, a draw against Wolves and in the cup they beat Manchester United and then they beat Arsenal at home, so we know their quality.
“We know they are not happy with the way they performed two weeks ago. They are not happy; we are not happy with how we performed last Saturday.
“We know that we have to be ready from the start and as you saw from the game two weeks ago, they had two great chances at the end of the game, so it means we need a good start, we need a good performance during the game, we need to stay focused until the end.”
Terzic was keen to draw a line under Saturday’s horror show against Bayern, who went 2-0 up within nine disastrous minutes as Dayot Upamecano and Harry Kane – who went on to score a hat-trick – struck at the Signal Iduna.
He said: “We were really honest in our analysis and then tried to take the lessons from that to look forward and to focus on the next task, which is tomorrow.
“Why we are confident is that we were already way better three days before the Bayern match (against Hoffenheim in the DFB Cup) and also two weeks ago in Newcastle. Now our focus is on the next task.”
Postecoglou hails 'fantastic' youngster Moore after late Vissel Kobe winner
Ange Postecoglou saluted "fantastic" Mikey Moore, after the teenager struck a late winner in Tottenham's J-League World Challenge clash with Vissel Kobe.
The 16-year-old was the hero with his 88th-minute strike sealing a 3-2 victory at the Japan National Stadium in what was Spurs' first match in their preseason tour of the Far East.
Academy graduate Moore became Tottenham's youngest Premier League player when, aged 16 years and 277 days, he made his senior debut against Manchester City in the penultimate game of last season.
And Postecoglou insists the England youth international, who has scored 10 goals in 12 appearances at under-17 level, is deserving of his first-team opportunities.
"Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "He's earned his spot on the roster at the moment; he did at the end of last year.
"He got a run with the first team because we could see in training that he was handling himself really well, and that's followed through into pre-season training.
"He's been good in all the games; he probably should have had three tonight, but he did take his goal well by being in the right areas.
"All we can do is keep allowing him to develop. We have to remember that, last year, he had some injuries, and he is only 16.
"I think the future with a lot of our young guys looks pretty promising, but it's our responsibility to make sure they realise their potential and continue to work hard at their game."
Spurs made it three wins from three during preseason, following their 5-1 and 2-0 victories over Hearts and Queens Park Rangers respectively.
"I thought it was a good game," Postecoglou added. "The conditions did make it difficult for both teams, and we've had a hard week of training.
"Credit to the boys. I thought we played some decent football, and they put in as much effort as they humanly could out there.
"You want to provide some sort of entertainment for the supporters who made a great turnout tonight, not just Spurs supporters, but football supporters in general. It's always nice to give back in that way and, overall, I was pleased."
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
