Germany international Mats Hummels feels upbeat as his Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund host bottom strugglers SC Paderborn tonight looking to bounce back from their Der Klassiker 4-0 humiliation by Bayern Munich before the international break, Completesports.com reports.
Hummels who has won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and three with Bayern will fancy winning his fifth Bundesliga title this season, this time with the Lucien Favre’s side.
Dortmund are sixth in the 18-team German Bundesliga going into tonight clash with Paderborn at the Signal Iduna Park. With six points behind leaders Borussia Monchenglabach, Hummels and teammates will hope to get back into winning stint after that Klassiker setback
“Yeah, it has been up and down this season. Before the game against Munich we had a good period with three important victories, we progressed in the cup, the Champions League. The Bayern match knocked us back,
but you have to say the weeks before were OK to very good, we haven’t been strong enough away from home,
but I think that has been the biggest difference so far, our
performances in home matches and away,” Hummels, a 2014 FIFA World Cup winner who signed for Borussia Dortmund for the first time in the summer of 2009, told Bundesliga International media.
The 30 year old also speaks about his best moment with Borussia Dortmund so far, precisely his first Bundesliga title with the club in 2010/2011 season.
“The first German title! There was the moment in the stadium when Köln led 2-0 against Leverkusen, something which nobody in the stadium will forget, in the 85th minute,” he recalled.
“I believe, we led 2-0 at home against Nurnberg and knew we had done it and I get goose bumps talking about it.
That was one of the most special moments in my career as the word spread through the stadium that it was 2-0.”
Asked what was it like to work with Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, Hummels summarizes it nostalgically.
“Under Klopp it was amazing, very successful and emotional, but also very nice in other ways,” he said.
“He had different ideas on how to play the game, there was a lot I experienced off the pitch. It was very interesting and I’m glad I could work with him during this time.”
