Kovac needs perfect Dortmund to keep dream alive
After losing to title rival Bayern Munich last time out, Niko Kovac believes his Borussia Dortmund side must now be perfect in 2025-2026.
Dortmund's last hope for silverware this season is the Bundesliga title, but it is 14 points behind league leader Bayern Munich with just seven games to go after Vincent Kompany's side put in another dominant display against Borussia Moenchengladbach to win 4-1 on Saturday (AEDT).
The club's title hopes suffered a huge blow last weekend when it fell to a 3-2 defeat to Bayern at home, despite leading Der Klassiker and equalising with seven minutes to go.
That also came off the back of Dortmund's UEFA Champions League exit to Atalanta in the play-off round, where it lost 4-1 in the second leg in Italy after a 2-0 win at home.
Dortmund faces FC Koln at RheinEnergieStadion in its next match, and Kovac insisted that his side must give everything it has if it is to win the Bundesliga title this term.
"We want to pick up points," Kovac said.
"We want to win every game. That's our goal.
"We can't afford to let our intensity drop off. The lads know that, and we're training accordingly.
"We're not allowing ourselves to think that 99% will be enough to get us what we’re aiming for."
On Koln, Kovac added: "They are capable of great things, especially at home in their fantastic stadium with its great atmosphere.
"That's why we have to give it our all and work hard to defeat our opponents.
"We have to play serious football there and not get caught up in the euphoria. When the mood swings from high to low or vice versa, it's always difficult to play in Cologne."
