Pre-Match Report
Niko Kovac before Freiburg: "We need to be back at 100%"
Following the 3-1 home win over FSV Mainz 05 last weekend, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to pick up their next three points away to SC Freiburg before back-to-back trips to Barcelona and Munich. "We want to win in Freiburg. It's a question of consistency, stability and the security we need for the next few games, also with a view to the Champions League. We're travelling there with the aim of winning," said BVB coach Niko Kovac.
Felix Nmecha could be back in the squad in Freiburg following the knee injury he sustained in January. After returning to team training this week, "he will hopefully be back in the squad at the weekend," said Kovac, who will still be without the injured Marcel Sabitzer. Nico Schlotterbeck and Yan Couto are also out due to yellow-card suspensions.
Doubts remain about the participation of three other players: Serhou Guirassy, who was ruled out against Mainz due to muscular problems, has not yet trained with the team this week but is "on the road to recovery" (Kovac). The striker could return to team training on Friday and be available at the weekend. Centre-back Niklas Süle is suffering from a severe haematoma following a collision in the Mainz game and, like Emre Can (muscular problems in the adductor area), has not trained with the team. Kovac will not know until Friday whether all three players will be available at the weekend.
These personnel questions will also have an impact on the tactical alignment. Against Mainz, Kovac played with a back three consisting of Schlotterbeck, Can and Waldemar Anton. ‘We deployed the back three well, both offensively and defensively,’ said the coach, who also indicated that he is currently unable to say anything about the defensive line-up and a possible return to a back four: "Two centre-backs are injured and one is suspended. It's very difficult for me to say anything concrete right now. I'll have to wait and see tomorrow and then decide what to do at the weekend," said Kovac.
Freiburg without a win in four games
Opponents Freiburg have drawn their last three games (in Augsburg, at home to Leipzig and in Mainz) and previously lost at home to Union Berlin, meaning they have now gone four games without a win. Kovac describes the Breisgau-based club as "a team that have performed very consistently over the years, regardless of who the coach has been. They pose a real threat from set-pieces and are capable of playing very intense football. We need to be at 100% again, just like against Mainz. I hope that we approach the game with concentration, focus, passion and intensity."
BVB have won their last two games in Freiburg: 3-1 in August 2022 and 4-2 in September 2023. BVB also won the reverse fixture in November by a score of 4-0, with Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens scoring the goals.
Currently tenth in the table, the Black & Yellows are four points behind seventh-placed SC Freiburg. With a win, BVB would close the gap to one point. And gain self-confidence for the upcoming away games.
Christina Reinke