Borussia Dortmund Aim to Maintain Momentum Under Kovac in Bundesliga Clash
Borussia Dortmund’s new coach, Niko Kovac, is eager to build on the positive momentum gained from their victory in Lisbon with a triumph in the Bundesliga.
"We know that BVB hasn’t necessarily performed well away from home, but we played well in Lisbon," said Kovac ahead of the Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum on Saturday. "We want to show the same performance in Bochum."
After a disappointing debut defeat against Stuttgart, Kovac secured his first win as BVB coach with a 3-0 triumph over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League playoff. Despite acknowledging the difficulty of the upcoming fixture against the league’s bottom club, Kovac is confident in his team’s ability to perform.
"We’re not going there to win a beauty contest," Kovac stated. "We want to build self-confidence by getting three points."
Kovac will be missing defenders Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson, as well as midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, for the Ruhr derby.
In his first two weeks with the club, Kovac has been assessing each player’s capabilities. "I believe that the team is willing and has the quality to achieve the goals we have set ourselves," he said. "But we can only do that if we give it our all."
Currently sitting 11th in the league table, Dortmund is seven points adrift of fourth place and their self-proclaimed target of Champions League qualification.
Key Points:
- Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac aims to build on his team’s victory in Lisbon with a positive result against Bochum.
- Kovac acknowledges Bochum’s strength at home and the importance of a strong performance from his team.
- Despite the absence of three key players, Kovac is confident that BVB can secure three points.
- Kovac is still in the process of evaluating each player’s capabilities and remains confident in the team’s potential.
- Dortmund is currently 11th in the Bundesliga and faces a significant gap to close to achieve their Champions League qualification goal.
