03.03.2015 15:38 h

Champions League spot doesn't interest Klopp

Jurgen Klopp says he has little interest in Champions League qualification for next season as he fights to keep Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Having started February bottom of the German league table, four straight wins have catapulted the 2013 Champions League finalists Dortmund up to tenth in the table.

They are just six points from a Champions League place for next season, but Klopp is more concerned about the five-point gap which keeps them away from the bottom three.

"As things stand, we have absolutely nothing to do with the international places, they really don't interest me," said Klopp.

"We need to focus on the essentials (staying in the Bundesliga)."

Dortmund beat Schalke 3-0 on Saturday to win the Ruhr Valley derby at home, which had a double advantage.

"We have killed two birds with one stone, we have managed to get 28 important points and won the derby," he said.

Klopp's side can strengthen their league position in the coming weeks with an away match at strugglers Hamburg before they host Cologne.

Despite their Bundesliga struggles Dortmund cruised through the Champions League group phase and host Italians Juventus in the last 16, second-leg clash, in a fortnight after losing the first-leg 2-1 in Italy.