Borussia Dortmund: Kovac replaced Sahin - Rescue in the Champions League?

Borussia Dortmund: Kovac replaced Sahin - Rescue in the Champions League?

On January 30, 2025, Borussia Dortmund celebrated a deserved 3-1 win against Schachtar Donetsk in the preliminary round final of the Champions League. Despite the success in which Serhou Guirassy scored two goals (17th and 44th minute) and Ramy Bensebaini met in the 79th minute, BVB missed the direct round of 16 and must now prove itself in the playoff round. Possible opponents are Sporting Lisbon or Club Bruges, and the draw for this will take place on Friday at 12:00 p.m.

Mike Tullberg, who continues to act as a coach, will initially lead the team in the upcoming Bundesliga game against 1. FC Heidenheim. The veteran had looked after Shakhtar Donetsk in the decisive game on Wednesday, while Lars Ricken, Managing Director of Dortmund, officially confirmed the agreement with Niko Kovac. Kovac, who takes over the coaching office on Sunday, will succeed Nuri Sahin, whose term of office ended after the disappointing 2-1 defeat against Bologna.

Niko Kovac takes over at BVB

Niko Kovac is equipped with an impressive vita after he trained both Bayern Munich and AS Monaco. He has great footsteps in which he has to step into, since Dortmund, as last year's Champions League runner-up, is currently in 11th place in the Bundesliga and is in the fight for security in the playoffs. Kovac's first measure will be the evaluation of the game results and possibly the discussion of new additions with regard to the upcoming transfer on Monday.

It is clear that those responsible for the club, including sports director Sebastian Kehl, Sven Mislintat and consultant Matthias Sammer, may be going through changes in the next few weeks. The uncertain future of these key positions ensures additional pressure on Kovac, which in turn has the opportunity to prove itself in March last year after his temporary turbulent discharge at Wolfsburg.

The situation of the football club

The sporting location of Borussia Dortmund is tense. In the current Champions League season, the team won five out of a total of eight preliminary round games. Nevertheless, the view of the playoffs is not exactly rosy, and further performance from the competition could tighten the internal situation. It was also difficult to find a playful line under Sahin and keep the results coherent. This not only led to dismissal, but also increased rumors for insufficient appreciation in the club.

The roots of the problem go deeper, because the dismissal of Nuri Sahin came after critical voices, which highly questioned the team's achievements. Sahin, who himself had an unhappy coaching station at Antalyaspor, had not managed to get the team on a successful course after starting in 2023.

with Kovac at the top Dortmund has the opportunity to bring a fresh wind into the team and to develop the potential that has often been moved into the background in recent years. It remains to be seen whether this can succeed, but the signs are at the beginning.

for Borussia Dortmund, the upcoming phase means both a sporty and a structural challenge that could be crucial for the future of the association. Whether Kovac can lead the BVB back to the success path will be shown in the coming weeks.

Radio Euskirchen reports that Dortmund must reach the playoffs of the Champions League. The details about Kovac's obligation and the current team leadership are of great importance. Further information about Kovac can also be found at Sportschau .