Sahin: Dortmund will challenge Bayern

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin said their bridesmaid season behind treble winners Bayern Munich will inspire them in 2013-14.

Bayern comfortably had Dortmund’s measure in the Bundesliga, claiming the championship by a whopping 25 points, while also beating their rivals in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals and more noticeably in the Champions League final in May.

But Sahin said they will not be submitting to Bayern’s brilliance again, after being within minutes of forcing extra-time in the Champions League decider.

“We are still ambitious,” Sahin said.

“Because we played a final and lost it, we are even hungrier.

“As a result of the final, we want to give one or two per cent more to win those kind of games.

“We didn’t win a title last season and our ambition will be the same.

“We can’t wait for next season. We won’t reduce our pace and we will want to play a good season.”

The 24-year-old Turkish international has endured patchy form after being shuffled around clubs such as Liverpool, Galatasaray and Real Madrid but said he finally feels settled back in Germany.

“As I said before, I want to be important for the team and unlock my full potential,” Sahin said.

“The time has come now that I can be involved with the full preparation, the way I couldn’t the previous two years.

“That will be good for me.

“On the pitch I want to help my team wherever I can. I want to make the next step in my career and I want to improve.”

Dortmund will hope their new signings Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can begin to look cohesive ahead of their opening league game against Augsburg on August 10.