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2006 FIFA WORLD CUP: Dortmund gears up for big match

/noticias.info/ by FIFAworldcup.com

Dortmund is gearing up for an electrifying evening on Tuesday as it plays host to a potential FIFA World Cup™ classic: the semi-final between hosts Germany and Italy. The western city, home to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, lives and breathes football, and there is probably no finer place to host an event of such magnitude.

Yesterday, the Italian delegation familiarised themselves with the FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund as part of the team’s last-minute preparations.

The two teams' familiarity with the venue could not be more different. Germany played their Group A match against Poland in the city and obviously know the pitch very well, whereas it will be the first time for Italy to set foot on the Dortmund turf. This explains the decision by the German delegation to remain until Monday evening in Berlin, just around the corner from the Olympiastadion, where they hope to return on Sunday for the Final.

Italy, on the other hand, will leave their Duisburg headquarters a few hours earlier and hold their final training session, due to start at 17:30 (CET), at the stadium itself. The choice of Duisburg – a mere 30 minutes away from Dortmund by coach – as the location for the Azzurri base camp has proved a far-sighted one.

Now 32 years after the memorable Netherlands-Brazil clash of 1974, Dortmund is ready to play host to another classic night of FIFA World Cup football. notas_de_prensa_archivo