Ex-Schalker Malick Thiaw is with AC Milan opponent at BVB and expects a “huge atmosphere”. The dramatic situation of the S04 preoccupies him.

At the final training on Tuesday morning in Italy, Stefano Pioli surprised with a special measure. The coach of AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opponent this Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN), wanted to give his team a taste of just how loud the Dortmund stadium can get. He played chants from the south stand, the legendary Yellow Wall, over loudspeakers.

Observing BVB’s last few home games prompted him to take this step, the 57-year-old later explained at the press conference in Dortmund. “I want the players to be ready in every respect. We have prepared technically and tactically – and also, in terms of atmosphere, I want them to be prepared,” he said, adding, “It will be very important that the players communicate well on the field. Maybe they won’t hear my voice.”

His player Malick Thiaw, who was the only German professional in the Milan squad to sit on the podium with him, appreciated the coach’s effort. “He’s tried to mimic the atmosphere a little bit already, but it’s going to be a whole different thing tomorrow.” Thiaw: “I think it’s going to be a huge atmosphere.”

The 22-year-old knows what he’s talking about, even if he can’t speak from his own experience at all. So far, he has come to Dortmund once as an opponent – but during the Corona era, there were only 300 fans allowed instead of the 81,000. “But the stadium is very, very well known in Germany, especially because of its rivalry with Schalke.” And this is very familiar to the defender: “I’ve often experienced how it is with Dortmund and Schalke.” He has to smile.

The son of a Finnish mother and Senegalese father, he was born in Düsseldorf but joined FC Schalke 04 in 2015, where he trained and made his Bundesliga debut for them in 2020. After relegation, he remained loyal to Königsblau, and Thiaw played a major role in the club’s direct return to the top flight. The fact that S04 is currently once again stuck in the 2nd division and in dire straits there has not escaped him. However, he is not giving up hope. “There’s still time,” he says. The possibility of still fixing everything is still there, he says.

For himself, things continued in a different world: In August 2022, he accepted an offer from AC Milan, reached the semifinals of the Champions League with the Rossoneri last season, but lost there to city rivals Inter. And he’s back in the top flight again this season.

Now returning to Germany – and then to Dortmund – doesn’t leave Thiaw cold. “It’s nice to play close to home,” says the 22-year-old. “All my family and friends will come.” And of course, the duel with S04’s great rival BVB motivates him in particular: “I’m still a Schalke player and will remain so. It’s also a private duel when you play here in Dortmund.”

His coach would probably only be pleased if Malick Thiaw were to make a win against BVB on Wednesday a personal matter. Then perhaps the south stand would also have less to celebrate.