Fresh from appointing Niko Kovac as coach, Borussia Dortmund can take a significant first step in the direction of salvaging their season with a top-four end once they host Stuttgart on Saturday. Stuttgart thrashed Dortmund 5-1 in September, the primary lack of Nuri Sahin’s tenure. In hindsight, it was a transparent signal all was not nicely within the yellow and black nook of northwestern Germany. Despite Dortmund shopping for striker Serhou Guirassy and captain Waldemar Anton from Stuttgart in the summertime, Saturday’s guests are placing collectively one other spectacular marketing campaign.
Last season’s runners-up Stuttgart sit fifth, forward of Eleventh-placed strugglers Dortmund, who fired Sahin in January.
But a mid-table site visitors jam means Dortmund may draw degree with Stuttgart with a win on Saturday.
Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness has turned across the facet’s fortunes since taking on in April 2023, lifting Stuttgart from a relegation mire to the Champions League.
His success had him marked by some as Sahin’s greatest substitute — however Dortmund opted for former Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Monaco coach Kovac.
Kovac will make his debut within the dugout on Saturday, with top-four qualification the clear goal.
Former Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who received two Bundesliga titles with the membership below Jurgen Klopp, advised AFP on Thursday that his outdated workforce have discovered the best man for the job.
“He’s an important supervisor for Borussia Dortmund. He’s coming with self-discipline and arduous work to push them to be a high workforce within the Bundesliga once more,” mentioned Weidenfeller.
“He’s the perfect supervisor for this case, to push the workforce and organise them. They are 4 factors off the Champions League spots — that is what they should organise.
“Every participant should push and might want to work tougher — to show themselves, that they need to be within the beginning XI.”
Weidenfeller was Dortmund’s goalkeeper when Jurgen Klopp took over in 2008. While stopping wanting evaluating the 2 coaches, who’ve clear variations of their model of play, Weidenfeller mentioned the pair share a relentless work ethic.
“We labored so arduous on our personal self-discipline, on our energy — it was robust, robust, robust,” the 44-year-old recalled. “We ran everywhere.”
“Each 12 months we felt fitter, stronger and extra like a workforce as each participant labored on his personal degree of efficiency.”
League leaders Bayern Munich host a resurgent Werder Bremen on Friday — the match when their season started to come back unstuck final marketing campaign.
Bayer Leverkusen, who sit six factors behind in second and play on Saturday, face a difficult away journey to Wolfsburg.
One to observe: Gregor Kobel
Named in UEFA’s Champions League workforce of the 12 months final season, Gregor Kobel has struggled this time period — however his woes have mirrored these of his workforce.
Kobel has saved simply three clear sheets within the league and has made a handful of high-profile errors.
Weidenfeller nevertheless backed Kobel to rediscover his greatest type below new coach Kovac.
“He’s made some errors and has not carried out the perfect… however that is what occurs while you need to assist your teammates and do issues which could not be your job,” mentioned Weidenfeller.
“But now, with Niko Kovac, and with the best high quality within the defence, it will likely be quieter and Gregor will come again with some nice performances — he is the wall of Borussia Dortmund.”
Key stats
22 – St Pauli sit thirteenth however have solely conceded 22 objectives, boasting the league’s second greatest defence behind Bayern (19).
14 – Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick has 14 objectives in his previous 10 league video games.
55 – After his first 50 Bundesliga video games, Harry Kane has a report 55 objectives — beating the earlier mark set by Erling Haaland by 5.
Fixtures (1430 GMT until said)
Friday
Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen (1930)
Saturday
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Union Berlin, Borussia Dortmund v Stuttgart, Freiburg v Heidenheim, Mainz v Augsburg, Borussia Moenchengladbach v Eintracht Frankfurt (1730)
Sunday
Holstein Kiel v Bochum, RB Leipzig v St Pauli (1630)
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
