Borussia Dortmund take on FC Koln in a bid to revive their league campaign
Kovac's team dropped to fourth in the early-season standings after seven games
FC Koln are unbeaten in their last two top-flight fixtures, following up their 1-0 win over Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund must be present from the first minute at Westfalenstadion against Koln to ensure a return to winning ways in the Bundesliga, Niko Kovac stressed.
Dortmund lost pace at the Bundesliga summit in their last top-flight match, going down to league leaders Bayern Munich, who maintained their perfect start to the campaign.
Kovac's team dropped to fourth in the early-season standings after seven games, but have the chance to build on some midweek momentum on Saturday.
In the Champions League on Tuesday, Felix Nmecha's brace led Dortmund to a 4-2 triumph over Copenhagen, moving them into the top eight of the 36-team league table.
Indeed, Dortmund scored three or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time in their European Cup/UEFA Champions League history, and Kovac believes that is a solid foundation to build on ahead of a return to domestic action.
"It will be another tough battle for us," Kovac told reporters. "We have to be present from the first minute. We need these three points.
"We have to give everything, and every single one of us has to go beyond our limits.
"I think the team have come a long way. Of course, there's always a bit of inconsistency when we look at the first two halves in Munich or Copenhagen.
"We didn't play the way we're capable of. But in the second half, we proved that we could do better. The team are able to respond to the impulses we give them at half-time.
"The players have the physicality to play through to the end in the second half. Every single player who plays here can do that, and that gives me peace of mind."
But a victory is far from a foregone conclusion, with the newly promoted side just three points behind Dortmund in the table after a strong start to life back in the Bundesliga.
They are unbeaten in their last two top-flight fixtures, following up their 1-0 win over Hoffenheim with a credible draw at home to Augsburg last time out.
"An opponent who has started very well, who are on a wave of euphoria and who will certainly have a lot of great fans in the stadium," Kovac added.
"A team that plays vertically, that gets the ball forward quickly and gets a lot of players in the box.
"That means we have to try to keep the opponent as far away from the goal as possible. We also have to play our game."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dortmund – Serhou Guirassy
Only Harry Kane (12), Luis Diaz, and Can Uzun (both five) have scored more goals in the Bundesliga this season than Serhou Guirassy (four), and the Dortmund star will be hoping to finally break his duck against his former club.
Indeed, Guirassy has never played against any other Bundesliga opponent for as long without scoring as he has against Koln (180 minutes in two matches), with Hannover (one match) and Hamburger SV (two matches) being the only other top-flight teams he has faced without finding the net.
Koln – Said El Mala
Said El Mala has scored in consecutive Bundesliga games, and at 19 years and 53 days old, he is the second-youngest player for the club this millennium to achieve this feat.
Indeed, only Lukas Podolski was younger (18 years and 195 days). El Mala's three Bundesliga goals this season are also a joint-high for Koln alongside Jakub Kaminski.
MATCH PREDICTION: BORUSSIA DORTMUND WIN
Dortmund have won each of their last three Bundesliga matches against Koln, having won just one of the previous five (W1 D1 L3). At home, BVB have lost only one of their 24 Bundesliga matches against this weekend's opponents (W19 D4), a 1-2 defeat in November 2020.
Kovac's team have also made the Westfalenstadion a fortress. They are unbeaten in their last nine home matches in all competitions (W8 D1) since the beginning of March. No other current Bundesliga side is on a longer unbeaten run at home.
But they will face a stern test in Koln, who, with 11 points after seven matches, are enjoying the best Bundesliga season by a newly promoted team in eight years (Hannover 96 had 12 points in 2017-18).
Koln have also lost only one of their last six away games in all competitions (W4 D1), which came in a 3-1 defeat to Leipzig on MD4 of this current Bundesliga season.
This means they have accumulated seven points from their four away games so far in 2025-26, a total they have bettered only twice in their league history (converted to the three-point system), registering nine points in 1963-64 and eight points in 1987-88.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Dortmund – 63.1%
Draw – 19.3%
Koln – 17.6%
