“We must focus on our game plan against Dortmund"

Unai Simón and Ernesto Valverde reiterated that Athletic Club must stick to the game plan when they face Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night (21:00 CEST).

It's Athletic's first Champions League away day in 11 years and 4,000 Athleticzales will be there to cheer on the Lions at the iconic German stadium.

"At the end of the day, it's football. Regardless of the opposition or the atmosphere, we have to stick to our game plan," Simón said at his pre-match press conference.

"They'll want to have possession and go on the attack, so we must take advantage of our mid-block, defend well in our box and be effective in theirs.

"We want to show our fans that what we're doing works and that we can change our current form. Tomorrow could be an important day for that."

The Lions are yet to win in September but Simón is hopeful that a positive result in Germany coud provide a much-needed morale boost.

He continued: "The performance, attitude and intensity aren't bad. We always give 100%.

"Since the international break, we've felt more confident in our style than we did in August, but we're lacking the same luck in front of goal that we had at the start of the season.

"Apart from the first half against Girona, we've deserved more points in every game. That said, we know need to improve in both areas to make sure the results go our way."

Ernesto Valverde also admitted the Lions need to break their poor streak "as soon as possible" to remove any negative tension.

"We're on a bad run and when you're not winning, you're always tense," he said.

"We've come to a challenging stadium and we have a tough opponent in front of us, but this team's intention is always to win."

Valverde highlighted the motivation that these matches bring to both the squad and the fans, adding that "being in the Champions League is a reward for everyone".

He continued: "There will be a great atmosphere. This is what we all wanted to experience: tough matches and difficult opponents.

"Dortmund are in good form, but we're going to stand up to them, stay focused on the game and try to tip the balance in our favour."