BVB: Spanish CL Opponent Comes with Only 39 Fans

Away trips in the UEFA Champions League are particularly attractive for German clubs. Thousands of people often gather in the away section for European cup matches.

This often depends on the opponent's appeal. Borussia Dortmund is more than a welcome draw for many fans due to its impressive crowd. Almost two years ago, up to 6,000 Sturm fans reportedly traveled to Dortmund.

Sturm brought more than 100 times as many fans

Spanish teams often don't have this travel culture. According to "Bild," Villarreal reportedly informed BVB at short notice that a large portion of their tickets would not be needed. Only 39 fans are said to have purchased tickets through the Spanish club (compared to Sturm, this amounts to 0.65 percent of the fans).

Due to the small number of fans, they will be seated in the West Stand and not in the away section.

Stadium cannot be filled

According to UEFA, away teams are allocated five percent of the seating capacity. Because Villarreal voluntarily waived standing tickets in advance, BVB was able to sell these seats to their own fans.

However, the notification from Spain came too late for the approximately 4,000 available seats. A short-term conversion of the entire northeast corner into a home section is no longer logistically possible. Dortmund will therefore anticipate around 77,000 fans in the stadium instead of the maximum possible 81,365 spectators.