Kovac: Cologne are in good form and the team must be ready for a tough battle

Hupu News on October 24th: Cologne, the newly promoted team in excellent form in the eighth round of the Bundesliga, will visit Dortmund on Saturday local time. For Dortmund, this is the third of seven games between the two national team competition windows from October to November and the only home game at this stage.

In the previous two away games, Dortmund lost 1-2 to Bayern in Munich last week, suffering the team's first defeat in seven months and 14 league rounds. However, it quickly rebounded and defeated Copenhagen 4-2 in the Champions League in midweek.

Coach Kovac said before the game: "I think the overall development of the team has been very good. Of course, sometimes there are ups and downs, such as our performance in the first half in Munich or Copenhagen was not ideal. But we proved that we can correct it in the second half. That's right. The team can respond well to midfield adjustments and has the physical strength to support the game until the last moment. This makes me feel reassured."

Kovac revealed that the team has restored its lineup depth in the Champions League. Although Gilasi and Jancuto only partially participated in training on Friday due to colds, they should have no problem playing tomorrow. In addition, long-term injuries Zhan and Duranville are also gradually recovering. Can participated in U23 training during the first team's trip to Denmark to maintain his sense of the ball.

In Saturday's game, Cologne, which is sixth in the standings, will challenge Dortmund, which is fourth in the standings. The two teams are only three points apart. The newly promoted Cologne has scored 11 points in the first seven games, which is the same as the total points at the half-way point of the 2023/24 relegation season, and created the best start of the newly promoted team since Hannover in the 2017/18 season. It is worth mentioning that Cologne has played four away games in the first seven rounds, scoring seven points.

Kovac analyzed his opponents and said: "They started very well. The team is full of passion and has excellent fan support. They will go to the away games with the team in large numbers to cheer. Cologne is a team that advances quickly vertically, shoots decisively, and invests a lot of people in the penalty area. We must do our best. Keep them away from our goal, and at the same time insist on playing our own game."

Since losing 1-2 at home to Augsburg on March 8, Dortmund has remained unbeaten at home in all competitions. During this period, it once won eight consecutive games. The 1-1 draw with Leipzig at the beginning of this month ended this momentum. Kovac emphasized before the game: "Tomorrow will be another tough battle. We must be fully committed from the first minute. We need these three points. Everyone must try their best and go beyond the limit."