BVB wants to attack again "To get the best out of the season" - clear mission for new coach Kovac

dpa

30.1.2025 - 10:00

Niko Kovac should lead Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League if possible. Those responsible expect the new coach to significantly improve the situation and the players.

DPA

Borussia Dortmund are expecting a clear upward trend from new coach Niko Kovac. The 53-year-old former coach of FC Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg will take over the Bundesliga eleventh-placed team on Sunday and will receive a contract until mid-2026. "This gives us the opportunity to get the best out of the season," said sporting director Lars Ricken after BVB's 3:1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of the Champions League preliminary round on Wednesday.

Sporting director Sebastian Kehl was clearer. "Of course we hope that we can attack again in the coming weeks," said the 44-year-old. "We are all very, very optimistic. We have high hopes that we will collect so many points over the next few weeks that we can gradually move back up the table."

Dortmund are currently six points off the minimum target of fourth place in the league. In the Champions League, they will face Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge in the play-offs in mid-February for a place in the last 16.

BVB coach from Sunday: Niko Kovac
BVB coach from Sunday: Niko Kovac
David Inderlied/dpa

In the end, one point was missing for direct qualification. The Westphalians had carelessly missed out on this in the previous week's 2-1 defeat at FC Bologna after leading 1-0. Immediately after the game, last year's Champions League finalists parted company with head coach Nuri Sahin.

Kehl defends squad and wants Kovac to make improvements

"I believe that the squad is much stronger than what we delivered and what can also be seen in the table," said Kehl. He now expects Kovac to "increase the quality in the squad". It's about "making the players who are there better".

It is unclear whether BVB, who will once again be coached by interim coach Mike Tullberg at 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday, will sign any more players. "We will use the next few days to perhaps do something. But it's also possible that we won't do anything at all. We have to be completely convinced," said the sporting director.

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