Latest news with #DieSchwarzgelben
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘We need team spirit' – Niko Kovac on Borussia Dortmund's crisis
Borussia Dortmund have just three wins in 10 games and have suffered five losses in seven Bundesliga games in 2025. Speaking at Tuesday's press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Sporting CP, Niko Kovac discussed the current crisis. 'I've had a lot of lows in my career,' said Kovac. 'The key is to get back up again. That's the difficulty. Sometimes it takes a little longer, sometimes it goes quicker. 'We need team spirit. It's not an easy situation. We want to fill our head with positive things.' Die Schwarzgelben already have one foot in the Champions League Round of 16 after their 3-0 win in Lisbon with goals from Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Groß and Karim Adeyemi, but Kovac remains wary of the threat that Sporting CP pose. 'We have only survived the first part of this round,' added Kovac. 'We are going into this game with full focus.' Borussia Dortmund come into this game following a 2-0 defeat against Ruhr neighbours Bochum, which puts the club in 11th and eight points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig. Speaking at Tuesday's press conference, Groß also commented on the club's situation. 'We have to regain our self-confidence through training, do things right in everyday life in order to get back on a better path,' said the 33-year-old. GGFN | By Daniel Pinder
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Confirmed lineups: Sporting Lisbon vs. Borussia Dortmund
With exactly an hour to go until kick-off, Borussia Dortmund's head coach Niko Kovac has announced his starting eleven to take on Sporting Lisbon. The team from the Portuguese capital currently sit in first place after 21 rounds of Liga Portugal action, but European football has posed a bigger challenge since Ruben Amorim departed the dugout. Meanwhile, Die Schwarzgelben will hope to survive the renowned José Alvalade Stadium atmosphere and take a positive result back to the Rührpott ahead of the play-off second-leg. The return tie will be played at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday, 19th February. Tonight, Dortmund make two changes to their line-up which succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of VfB Stuttgart last Saturday afternoon. Gregor Kobel remains in goals as Daniel Svensson replaces the injured Ramy Bensebaini. The Swede joins Nico Schlotterbeck, captain Emre Can and Julian Ryerson in defence. Felix Nmecha (knee) remains on the sidelines, therefore the midfield consists of Pascal Groß, Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt. Into the final third where Karim Adeyemi and Jamie Gittens keep their place on the flanks with Serhou Guirassy leading the line for the black and yellows. As for the hosts, Sporting are hoping to reach the Champions League's Round of 16 for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. Tonight, head coach Rui Borges lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Matheus Reis as captain alongside ex-Mainz man Jeremiah Meanwhile, former striker Viktor Gyökeres remains on the bench as Konrad Harder starts up top. Official lineups below: Sporting CP (4-2-3-1): Rui Silva - Fresneda, Diomande, Matheus Reis (c) - João Simões, Debast - Quenda, Trincão, Araújo - Harder Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Kobel - Ryerson, Can (c), Schlotterbeck, Svensson - Groß, Sabitzer - Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens - Guirassy
