Dortmund icon Ibrahim Tanko delivers honest verdict on former club’s Champions League prospects.

Borussia Dortmund legend Ibrahim Tanko has offered an honest assessment of his former club’s prospects ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb, casting doubt over their ability to go all the way in this season’s competition.

Tanko, who played for Dortmund between 1994 and 2001, remains part of the club’s rich European history. Despite an injury-hit spell that limited him to 71 appearances, the Ghanaian was a member of the iconic Dortmund side that lifted the Champions League trophy in the 1996–97 season.

Since that historic triumph, Dortmund have struggled to reclaim Europe’s biggest prize, though they have come agonisingly close. They suffered heartbreak in the 2013 final, losing 2–1 to rivals Bayern Munich, and were again denied last season when Real Madrid beat them in the final.

This campaign, however, Dortmund have shown encouraging signs under new head coach Nuri Sahin. The German side have won three matches and boast the second-highest goal tally in the competition with 13 goals, sparking optimism among sections of the fanbase.

Despite their strong start, Tanko believes Dortmund’s youthful squad and lack of Champions League experience will ultimately count against them in the latter stages of the tournament.

“You can never say never, but it is going to be tough when you look at the calibre of teams playing in the competition this season, especially a team like Real Madrid,” Tanko told Flashscore.

“We have a very young team, and maybe if they are kept together, as from next season or even later, they stand a chance to compete for the title. The manager is new and the team is very young—some of them have not played in the Champions League before.

“I don’t see them winning the Champions League this season because they need a lot of experience to do that and the other teams are stronger.”

While ruling Dortmund out as serious contenders this term, Tanko also urged the club’s hierarchy to prioritise experience in the dugout if they are to return to the summit of European football. He referenced Dortmund’s Champions League success under Ottmar Hitzfeld as a blueprint.

“If they want to get back to the highest level once again, they must hire experienced managers. When we won the Champions League, we were managed by an experienced manager in Ottmar Hitzfeld,” he said.

“Since then, we have been changing coaches every two years or yearly. Trust me, Dortmund have the quality players. Let’s hope the current manager would get somewhere.”

Dortmund face Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday and will be aiming to build on their nine points as they push closer to securing a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.