Borussia Dortmund are in fine form, and Niko Kovač’s united squad will make it tough for Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in his UEFA Champions League reunion with his former club on Wednesday.
Here’s just a few reasons why Dortmund can get one over Man City…
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The Kovač effect
Kovač’s men are flying, and a lot of the credit must go to their coach. They have lost just one of their last 17 Bundesliga games, already racking up four points more than they had at the same stage last season.
Friday’s 1-0 win at Augsburg, with Serhou Guirassy back on the scoresheet, made it 10 wins in 14 competitive fixtures this term, with their sole loss coming away at Bayern Munich.
Watch: Dortmund edged Augsburg on Friday
“Niko arrived at Borussia Dortmund at a very difficult time,” said the club’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl, referring to Kovač’s appointment in January 2025 with the club in 11th place before he guided them to a fourth-placed finish. “From the start, he gave off an air of calm and experience, and followed clear principles. He quickly got us back on track.”
It has worked in the Champions League too – a competition Dortmund would not have been in but for the Kovač-inspired revival last term – as wins over Athletic Bilbao and Copenhagen followed the gripping 4-4 draw with Juventus. It has left Dortmund level on points with City but a place ahead of their English opponents in sixth coming into the game.
“What Kovač is getting out of BVB is phenomenal,” said Champions League-winning former Liverpool, Newcastle United, City and Bayern midfielder Dietmar Hamann.
Niko Kovač has revived Borussia Dortmund since taking over in January. – IMAGO/Noah Wedel
“He demands, supports, and has certain expectations of his players. If someone doesn’t pull their weight, someone else steps in. Dortmund has a level of professionalism and rigour they didn’t even have two years ago when they could have won the Bundesliga and reached the Champions League final.”
Keeping Haaland and Marmoush out
Haaland’s reunion with his former club is, of course, highly anticipated, but the Norway international who struck 62 goals in 67 Bundesliga games for Die Schwarzgelben will have his work cut out to shine at the Etihad Stadium.
Watch: Haaland’s Bundesliga best bits
Dortmund have conceded just six times in the Bundesliga this season – their best record after nine games in 23 years – with only league leaders Bayern stingier so far. Key to that impressive stat have been the only players in the Dortmund squad who have played every minute of every competitive game: centre-back Waldemar Anton and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
“He is a real Ironman,” said Kovač referring to Anton after the DFB Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt. “To maintain this tempo every three days is only possible when you’re at the highest possible level.”
If Haaland or former Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush do shake off Anton, then they still have to beat Kobel. The Swiss goalkeeper was the hero against Frankfurt as he stopped Farès Chaïbi’s penalty to take Dortmund through, relying on his instincts rather than his homework
“Nowadays, every shot is on the Internet, but there were only two videos of the Frankfurt penalty takers and Chaïbi was not among them,” said Kobel, who has six clean sheets in the Bundesliga so far this season as Dortmund have defended impressively as a united block.
“I don’t want to make any comparisons to last year,” Kobel added. “But it feels great at the moment. We’ve built something up in terms of atmosphere.”
A full squad
With his team playing virtually every three days, Kovač has employed rotation effectively, but needs a full squad available to do so optimally. He now almost has one, which he admits makes his team “difficult to beat”.
Ramy Bensebaini missed the midweek shootout win over Frankfurt with a back problem but returned to complete 90 minutes on Friday, where captain Emre Can also returned to the squad for the first time in several months. Nico Schlotterbeck was also afforded a rest in Augsburg after playing through following his long-awaited return from a knee injury.
Dortmund’s unity and spirit has been key to their success so far this season. – IMAGO/Moritz Mueller
And the more players are involved and the team wins, the positive spiral just gets all stronger, especially with everyone buying into Kovač’s vision.
“We’ve addressed certain issues. It’s about everyone making sacrifices. That’s what I demand,” said the BVB boss, whose side will have almost 48 hours more recovery time than Pep Guardiola’s men who faced Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Sunday. “If every single player gives their all, then this team has a lot of quality and can achieve a great deal.”
