German Cup is shortest road to a title, Dortmund coach Kovac says
BERLIN -Borussia Dortmund must kick off their German Cup campaign with a commanding performance against third-tier club Rot-Weiss Essen on Monday, with the domestic competition being the shortest path to a title, coach Niko Kovac said on Friday.
Dortmundare starting thedomestic season with Monday's first round match while theiropponents already have two third-division league matches under their belt.
"We want to advance. We are playing a third division club, playing away, with a good atmosphere," Kovac told a press conference. "We will have to work but we have clear goals of advancing. The shortest way to the title is the German Cup."
Dortmund will also be competing in this season's Champions League after finishing fourth last season. The Bundesliga season kicks off next week with Dortmund travelling to StPauli in eight days.
"It is always an advantage if you have two competitive matches under your belt," said the coach of their Cup opponents Essen. "We are now in the third training week. I am not sayingwe don't havean advantage. Quite the opposite. But they have already played (a couple of) 90 consecutiveminutes."
Kovac's Dortmund had a shortened preparation this season after reaching the quarter-finals in the Club World Cup in the United States in July.
"We would have wished a couple of more weeks of preparation work. We are happy to have been part of the Club World Cup ... andthere are no alibis. We know of the responsibility we have," he said.
"It's a third-tier team but it is a professional team," Kovac said. "We will take them very seriously and then we have a chance to advance. If we think it will come by itself, it can turn out to be a very difficult evening."
(Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Pogba watches Monaco win Ligue 1 opener as Lyon secure victory
PAUL Pogba watched from the sidelines as Monaco began their Ligue 1 campaign with a 3-1 win over Le Havre. Lyon also started strongly with a 1-0 away victory at Lens, while Marseille suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Rennes. Nice, last season's fourth-placed side, fell to a late 1-0 defeat against Toulouse at home. Georges Mikautadze scored the decisive goal for Lyon, while Pogba's presence in Monaco's locker room drew attention. Wearing a retro Monaco jersey, Pogba saw his new team dominate Le Havre from the start. The midfielder joined Monaco from Juventus this summer, aiming to revive his career after injury struggles. Pogba's last three seasons were marred by injuries, suspension, and an extortion case. Fans will have to wait to see Pogba and Ansu Fati in action for Monaco. Monaco took the lead after 32 minutes when Gautier Lloris scored an own goal from Aleksandr Golovin's cross. Eric Dier, another summer signing, headed in a second from Lamine Camara's corner after the hour mark. Le Havre pulled one back through Rassoul Ndiaye before Maghnes Akliouche sealed Monaco's win. Mikautadze's first-half strike gave Lyon their first win under new president Michele Kang. Lyon overcame former coach Pierre Sage, now in charge at Lens. The team relied on existing talent, with Malick Fofana and Mikautadze linking up effectively. Fofana tormented Lens' defence before setting up Mikautadze's goal. Lens wasted 18 attempts, with Wesley Said and Deiver Machado missing key chances. Florian Thauvin's introduction for Lens brought energy but no breakthrough. Nice's struggles continued as they lost 1-0 to Toulouse just days after Champions League elimination. - AFP
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Kane and Diaz lead Bayern to German Super Cup win over Stuttgart
BAYERN Munich secured a record 10th German Super Cup victory with a 2-1 win over Stuttgart on Saturday. Harry Kane and Luis Diaz were the heroes for Bayern, each finding the net in a hard-fought contest. The match marked the first edition of the competition renamed in honour of Franz Beckenbauer, who passed away earlier this year. Kane opened the scoring in the 18th minute, finishing off a slick move involving Michael Olise. The England captain now has 86 goals in 97 appearances for Bayern since joining last summer. Stuttgart pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, spurred on by a passionate home crowd. Diaz doubled Bayern's lead in the 77th minute with a close-range header from Serge Gnabry's cross. The Colombian celebrated by mimicking former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota's signature video-game tribute. Jota tragically died in a car accident in July, making Diaz's gesture particularly poignant. Stuttgart pulled one back through Jamie Leweling in stoppage time, but it proved too little too late. Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich hailed the win as a statement of intent for the new season. 'We wanted to show everyone that we're here,' Kimmich told Sat 1. The build-up to the match was overshadowed by transfer rumours surrounding Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade. Bayern reportedly made multiple bids for the German forward, but Stuttgart stood firm. On the pitch, Bayern kept Woltemade quiet for most of the game, limiting Stuttgart's attacking threat. Olise was instrumental in Bayern's opener, delivering a perfectly weighted pass for Kane. Stuttgart's defence failed to deal with the danger, allowing Kane to slot home with precision. The hosts came close to equalising late on, with Woltemade heading over from a promising position. Manuel Neuer produced a stunning save to deny Leweling before Diaz sealed the win. Bayern will begin their Bundesliga campaign against RB Leipzig on Friday.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Hodak's underdogs Persib ready to bite in AFC showdown
PETALING JAYA: Persib Bandung coach Bojan Hodak has admitted his side will embrace the role of underdogs as they prepare for a challenging AFC Champions League Two campaign following Friday's group draw. The Croatian tactician, who knows South-East Asian football inside out after years of coaching in Malaysia, will see his Persib side matched against some of the region's most ambitious clubs, Selangor from Malaysia, Singapore's Lions City Sailors, and Thailand's Bangkok United. 'It is an interesting group,' said Hodak, reflecting on the draw. 'According to TransferMarkt values, Bangkok, Lions, and Selangor are favourites, but I think anybody can beat anybody in this group.' Hodak, who has squared off against Selangor multiple times during his managerial career in Malaysia, is relishing the battles ahead. For him, the draw represents both familiarity and fresh challenge. 'Bangkok were second in the Thai League, which to me, shows they are a good team, and they have qualified for the Champions League before, so they will be favourites,' noted Hodak. 'Lions have also invested a lot, they kept their core players from last season and they played in the final of the AFC Champions League Two last season. So, a good team, top. 'Selangor, in the last six to seven years, have invested a lot of money to build their squad. They didn't win anything, but they have invested a lot. We will see how good they are.' For Persib, the journey is not about being favourites but about upsetting the odds. Hodak underlined the club's financial discipline and steady growth as key strengths, even if they cannot compete with rivals' spending power. 'Persib are the smallest among the four, so we are coming as underdogs but we can fight and surprise people,' he said. 'We won the league for two consecutive seasons. Lots of our players received huge offers from other clubs. 'Financially, Persib are always stable but they do not overspend. 'We may not be the richest in the country but somehow we are the most consistent.' The clash with Selangor will be especially be intriguing given Hodak had coached several of their current players at different stages of their careers, from club football with KL City and JDT, to the Malaysia Under-19 national team. Adding further spice, Persib's Argentine playmaker Luciano Guaycochea once captained Perak and has plenty of experience facing the Klang Valley sides, while the Red Giants will also meet their former captain Safuwan Baharuddin, now donning Lions City colours on loan.
