By Jon H
August 4 2006

Tottenham Hotspur FC travel out to Germany this weekend for a prestigious friendly against Borussia Dortmund, one of the traditional powerhouses of German football. This will be a good opportunity for Martin Jol’s troops to gauge themselves against top European opponents. Tottenham Hotspur FC travel out to Germany this weekend for a prestigious friendly against Borussia Dortmund, one of the traditional powerhouses of German football. This will be a good opportunity for Martin Jol’s troops to gauge themselves against top European opponents. Spurs’ new £10.9 million striker, Dimitar Berbatov will know plenty about Dortmund having spent several seasons in the Bundesliga. Paul Stalteri also plyed his trade in Germany for several seasons at Werder Bremen, and will as such, be no stranger to Saturday’s opponents [should he play].

The German season starts next weekend, with Dortmund facing the German champions, Bayern Munich so Borussia should be almost at full strength one would imagine. World cup stars Metzelder, Degen, Pienaar, Buckley, Kehl, the prolific Frei, and the exciting Odonkor should all figure at some point in what will be a stern test for Spurs.

Borussia’s stadium – The Westfalionstadion is in my opinion, one of the best club grounds in Europe. The South Stand has a capacity alone, of around 25,000 and the stadium itself holds around 80,000 for Bundesliga matches. Season tickets are valid for Saturday’s game so there should be a healthy attendance. Several hundred Spurs fans are believed to be heading out from the United Kingdom [myself among them], and are all looking forward to sampling some of the renowned German hospitality [and beer]. The ‘Limericks’ Bar next to the central station has been mooted as a meeting point for fans, and I have heard through the grapevine that it is opening at noon on Saturday [instead of the usual 5pm] especially for Tottenham supporters. The excellent ‘U-Bahn’ system should also ensure that fans get to the stadium in good time, if they don’t fancy the 5km walk. Tickets are available on the day at turnstiles, but if you wish, you can purchase them from the Dortmund Ticket Office from 11am.

Enjoy the trip Spurs fans, and I’ll see you in ‘Limericks’ where we can raise a toast to absent Spurs fans – mine’s a Stella!!