Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has expressed his excitement ahead of returning home to the Ruhr area of Germany for their Champions League semi-final first leg with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old, who was born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish immigrants, started his career just a short distance from Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.
Ozil, who will also clash with Germany teammates Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundogan, Marcel Schmelzer and Marco Reus, admits that he cannot wait for the match.
"I am really looking forward to the Dortmund game," Ozil told Kicker.
"The stadium is just half an hour away from my parents' home. My family and many friends will be there. That's pretty cool for such an important game.
"It's also nice to compete against my colleagues from the Germany team, I've got many friends on the Dortmund team. I enjoy every game that I can play in Germany. I am usually on foreign territory with Real Madrid."
Ozil made his debut in the Bundesliga at the age of 17 for boyhood club Schalke 04.
Matt Cotton
