Sunderland’s highly-anticipated pre-season clash with Borussia Dortmund couldn’t have come at a better time, according to midfielder Jan Kirchhoff.
The Black Cats have enjoyed a stellar pre-season completing a testing ten-day training camp in Austria before taking on Hartlepool United, Rotherham United, Stade Nyonnais, Dijon FCO and Montpellier HSC.
Currently unbeaten, David Moyes’ side travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in just nine days, with the new-look Citizens expected to compete at the very top after smashing through the £100m barrier.
Speaking to safc.com, Kirchhoff explained why taking on Dortmund is the perfect way to prepare for the opening day of the Premier League season.
“It will be a tough test but I think it’s come at the right time with just one week to go before we face Manchester City,” said the German. “They will be one of the best teams in our league next year so it’s a good test for us to play a team on the same level like Dortmund.
“They will be a really great team next season in Germany and in Europe and the same with Manchester City, so it is a game which will help us be ready for the Premier League.”
He continued: “It’s nice to play against these teams as a footballer because as a sportsman you want to compete with the best and this is two of the best teams at the moment.
“It will be fun to measure ourselves against them and see if we can get a result against them, or if we can beat them and make their lives as hard as possible.
“That is our task against Dortmund on Friday and that is going to be our task next season when we play great teams, but the Premier League is about playing against the best teams and getting results.”
