TheCable

Borussia Dortmund coach, Jurgen Klopp, is hoping to avoid “unexploded bombs” when his side take on their nearest but not dearest rivals Schalke on Saturday, after an unexploded bomb was found near Signal Iduna Park on Thursday.

The 250kg bomb was found during morning work on the stadium’s VIP area and the surrounding area was quickly evacuated and Klopp’s scheduled press conference was moved to the club’s training ground.

Klopp, who won the Bundesliga with Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, does not expect such drama on Saturday against Schalke.

“I hope there are no unexploded bombs in the stadium on Saturday!” he said.

“They are an opponent that will offer us minimal space, so we’ve got to be really careful. We’ve got to be clever with the space we do get on the pitch. Schalke sit quite deep and then have good quality on the counter.

“We know the problems. We’ve got to finally show stability on the pitch. We need to convert possession into goal scoring chances. That will be decisive.”

With just 35 kilometres separating Dortmund from Gelsenkirchen-based Schalke, their Ruhr Valley rivalry is Germany’s top derby.

Both sides have won 30 games each and 25 ended in draws in their 85 previous meetings.