The Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund summit is once again a real top match. First versus second, both still unbeaten. BVB's upswing has a lot to do with the coach.
18.10.2025, 05:00
18.10.2025, 07:12
SDA
Both an opportunity and a threat: the summit clash between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund finally holds plenty of excitement again - for the league, but also for the reinvigorated BVB, who will be determined to prevent Bayern from dominating again early on. "We know how important the game is, but we're fully focused on ourselves," said former Bayern and current BVB coach Niko Kovac ahead of Saturday's clash.
If Bayern also win their seventh championship match, the record champions, who have no losses, would already be seven points clear of BVB. On the other hand, they see Dortmund as a chance to close the gap to one point and keep the league exciting. "Bayern are the favorites, nobody can deny that. But we are the underdogs who want to hurt our opponents somehow," said Kovac, choosing an interesting image to illustrate Dortmund's approach. "We have to be like a fist. A fist hurts more than a punch."
BVB are back on track under the 54-year-old, who took charge on Wednesday. Saturday will show whether Dortmund are already back on a par with Bayern. "They certainly won't underestimate us," said Kovac in view of the upswing under his leadership.
Kovac arrives
The Westphalians arrive four points behind the superior Munich side. After a completely botched previous season, which was ultimately saved by Kovac, Dortmund were 25 points behind the champions. This season is a seamless continuation of what had already begun: under Kovac, Dortmund are scoring more points, conceding fewer goals and scoring more themselves. Under the Croatian, Dortmund won 65% of all games in the championship and scored an average of 2.1 points per game. No BVB coach has a better record.
The initial skepticism in Dortmund towards Kovac has given way to general satisfaction. "You simply have to say: Niko delivers," said head of sport Lars Ricken in "Sport Bild". The BVB bosses are very grateful that Kovac has led the Revier giants from 11th place in the table to 4th place and thus back into the Champions League money pots after taking the job nine months ago. This gratitude was so great that the contract was extended early until 2027.
No comparison with Bayern's version
Kovac not only has an effect on his players. The former professional also has little in common with the image he portrayed during his time as Bayern coach between the summer of 2018 and November 2019, despite winning three titles. Back then, Kovac came across as irritable and sometimes made unfortunate statements, for example about Thomas Müller, who was a high-class reserve at the time. Since then, however, Kovac has changed.
"You try to improve as a person. As a coach, you've certainly developed as well," says Kovac. Always confident, even when faced with critical questions, and friendly in manner, he quickly gained a lot of sympathy in Dortmund. Observers who initially placed bets on which star Kovac would be the first to leave BVB were quickly disappointed.
In fact, Kovac puts himself in front of every one of his players, most noticeably the polarizing Julian Brandt, who was in a form crisis for a long time. Kovac, who often seemed so strict in the past, patiently includes supposed problem cases until they work out or improve. Marcel Sabitzer, Karim Adeyemi and Yan Couto are the best examples of this.
Last classic for Watzke as BVB boss
One of Kovac's biggest fans in Dortmund is outgoing managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke. The 66-year-old is relishing the opportunity to travel to Munich for the last time as boss of a real top club. "It's a special game for me, I don't want to talk about it," Watzke told the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper. "I would hate to lose it."
