The Signal Iduna Park was a sea of yellow and black, a vibrant and defiant display of loyalty and passion. The DFB-Pokal defeat to Bayern Munich still stung, but the Dortmund faithful were not ones to wallow in self-pity.
They were a proud and resilient bunch, and they had come to roar their team on, to show their unwavering support, to remind the world that Borussia Dortmund was a club that was defined by its spirit, not by its setbacks.
The opponents were Mainz 05, a well-organized and hard-working team, but one that lacked the star quality of a Bayern or a Chelsea.
On paper, it was a match that Dortmund should win comfortably. But football is not played on paper, and Klopp was taking nothing for granted.
He knew that Mainz would be dangerous, that they would be motivated by the opportunity to claim a famous scalp, and that his own team would be under pressure to deliver a convincing performance after the disappointment of the cup exit.
