Borussia Dortmund top official identifies Mamelodi Sundowns' threat ahead of Fifa Club World Cup duel - 'We need to take care'

Borussia Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl has identified Mamelodi Sundowns' threat ahead of their clash at the Fifa Club World Cup.

The Dortmund official said he is looking forward to the game against Premier Soccer League champions, especially because it has been a while since they faced a side from Mzansi.

“So it will be an interesting game; they are technically very good, and they are a really good team. So we need to take care, but hopefully we can make it," Kehl told iDiski Times.

“We’re happy to play Sundowns; it’s a new challenge for us. We haven’t played a South African team for a long time," he added.

Despite the criticism Fifa has faced for organising an expanded tournament, Kehl also praised the competition.

“We take this [tournament] very seriously. We had a great look at all our opponents in the next days, but the first one is on Tuesday against Fluminense, and of course, we want to win this game,” Kehl added.

“To be in the tournament is really exciting. To start now, the first goal is to go through the group stage, so this is the most important thing. Afterwards, we will see which opponents we will get, but yeah, I’m quite confident. Very interesting group," the German concluded.

Considered one of Africa's heavyweights, the Club World Cup tournament gives Sundowns a unique chance to test themselves against other established teams from across the globe.

In Group F, they are set to play Brazilian heavyweights Fluminense and South Korea's Ulsan HD and, of course, Dortmund. How Masandawana fare against these rivals will reveal just how competitive an outfit they are when they come up against top teams.

The Tshwane giants will open their campaign with a game against Ulsan HD on June 18 before taking on Dortmund on June 21.

They will conclude the group duties with a match against Fluminense on June 25.