The Poland midfielder wants football, rather than any conflict, to take centre stage at Wembley when the fierce rivals clash for the biggest prize in European football
Jakub Blaszczykowski has urged his Borussia Dortmund team-mates and rivals at Bayern Munich to ensure they do not let emotions spill over and ruin the Champions League final.
The two Bundesliga giants will clash at Wembley on May 25 after getting the better of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the semi-finals to ensure it will be an all-German showpiece in London.
The sides clashed in league action on Saturday, each resting a number of key players in a battling 1-1 draw, but tensions are high between the two clubs after a public war of words following Bayern’s swoop for Dortmund star Mario Gotze.
I hope it’s going to be intense, but not too fiery,” Blaszczykowski told the Bundesliga’s official website.
“Football should always take centre stage. Of course it’s always going to be emotional when these two clubs meet, but things should stay within the boundaries.”
There was tension on the pitch when Rafinha was sent off after lashing out at Blaszczykowski, prompting angry scenes involving BVB boss Jurgen Klopp and FCB sporting director Matthias Sammer.
“It was a clear foul on me and the referee decided accordingly,” said the Dortmund midfielder.
“I was quite amazed by the discussions that followed, but I prefer to not comment on it as I consider it finished. It was important to keep cool on the pitch and not further rise to provocation. It wasn’t at all easy, but fortunately we managed.”
Blaszczykowski admitted his side felt they should have won the match, but said his team-mates should be proud as the point all but ensured they will finish the campaign in second place.
“Both sides made quite a few changes in order to rest some players and help others to recover from minor injuries,” said the Pole.
“It’s a bit of a shame we only managed a draw as we played rather well. We had a number of chances to wrap up the game, but unfortunately we missed them and even failed to convert from the penalty spot. Maybe we could have done better in the final 25 minutes of the game, when we were one man up.
“There’s still a way to go until the final. This game was important for us as we wanted to do everything we could to secure second place in the table. We’re now six points ahead of Leverkusen.
“It’s our goal to reach second place this season, so we should be very proud to have achieved it.”