The Arsenal forward feels there is no favourite for the Champions League final, but believes the Borussia Dortmund boss is capable of motivating his players in unconventional ways
Arsenal attacker Lukas Podolski has described Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp as “positively crazy” ahead of the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at Wembley.
BVB, together with the Bavarian giants, will take part in the competition’s first-ever all-German final, and the Premier League star has refused to slap the favourites tag on either of the sides – although he admits that Klopp’s unconventional man-management style will see his players fired up for the occasion.
“There is no favourite for the final, everything is possible in a single match,” he told Bild.
“Bayern are at the top of Europe, but Klopp is a positively crazy coach who will fire up his men. They’ve had a very strong Bundesliga and Champions League campaign.
“Of course I’m hoping Bayern will win. I trained under Jupp Heynckes who is a great coach.”
The 27-year-old also lauded BVB starlet Mario Gotze, who is on the verge of joining Jupp Heynckes’ side at the end of the season but could miss the showpiece on May 25 after picking up an injury in the semi-final against Real Madrid.
“Mario is an exceptional player,” Podolski continued. “I’m not sure if he’ll be fit for Wembley, but Dortmund have top-players like [Marco] Reus, [Robert] Lewandowski and [Ilkay] Gundogan as well.