Niko Kovac Highlights Confidence As Crucial For Borussia Dortmund's Success Against Sporting CP

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Niko Kovac has urged his Borussia Dortmund squad to find inner strength and regain confidence before their Champions League play-off second leg against Sporting CP. Dortmund suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bochum in the Bundesliga, which left them in 11th place. Despite this setback, Kovac secured his first win as coach with a 3-0 victory over Sporting in the first leg.

Dortmund's triumph in the first leg marked their 12th instance of winning the opening match of a major European knockout tie away from home. They have progressed on each of the last 11 occasions. The team has also won four out of five encounters with Sporting across all competitions, losing just once. Both previous home games against Sporting ended 1-0 in Dortmund's favour.

The German club has been formidable at home in the Champions League, losing only one of their last 15 matches (10 wins, 4 draws). That sole defeat was against Barcelona in December, with a scoreline of 2-3. Over these matches, Dortmund scored an average of 2.2 goals per game, totalling 33 goals.

Despite past successes, Kovac emphasised that previous results are not relevant now. "I am a football coach, and it is not the end of this play-off, just the first half," he stated during a press conference on Tuesday. He believes building self-confidence through effective training and victories is crucial for his players.

Kovac noted that while his players possess high quality, mental resilience is currently vital. "These players are players of high quality, but at the moment the head is the key factor," he added.

Bundesliga Challenges

Dortmund's domestic campaign has been challenging; they are eight points behind the final Champions League qualifying spot in Germany's top league. Defensive errors have plagued their season, exemplified by Niklas Sule's weak backpass leading to Bochum's second goal recently.

This season, only Bochum and RB Leipzig (seven each), along with Eintracht Frankfurt and Holstein Kiel (eight each), have committed more mistakes resulting in goals than Dortmund (five). Kovac highlighted these issues: "Three times in past matches we allowed our opponents to run alone towards goal."

Focus on Improvement

Kovac stressed the need for mental relaxation and resetting focus to reduce errors. "It is about relaxing the head, resetting it," he said. Training success and victories are essential for improvement. He also warned against complacency: "We are not stupid to say that this tie is done."

The coach insisted on maintaining intensity throughout their Champions League campaign: "We have to play as intensely as we can. We can't say we play only 50%, not in the Champions League." This determination will be crucial as they aim for success in both domestic and European competitions.