Kovac to hold off on Dortmund judgement
Niko Kovac will not judge Borussia Dortmund's start to the Bundesliga season until six games have passed, warning that its first opponent St Pauli will be a "tough nut to crack".
Dortmund snuck into fourth place on the final day of the 2024-2025 season, clinching UEFA Champions League qualification after spending 30 matchdays outside the top four.
Kovac was appointed in January after the dismissal of Nuri Sahin, when Dortmund was 11th on the table.
But it won 22 of 24 possible points – seven wins and one draw – over the final eight matchdays of last season – a league-best total.
Dortmund also finished the campaign with five successive wins, its best streak since 2023, scoring at least three goals in each match.
A run of six consecutive Bundesliga wins with at least three goals would equal the club's record, which was set back in 2015.
But ahead of the trip to the Millerntor-Stadion, Kovac is not expecting a flying start, pointing out Dortmund is still recovering from its run to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
"I don't judge a start based on the first Bundesliga matchday, but rather after six games – three home and three away games," Kovac said.
"Then you can say approximately where you stand and what you can still expect. The body needs six to eight weeks to adapt.
"Last season, we were still working on stamina and playing games at the same time – that will certainly be the case for some time this season too."
St Pauli finished 14th in its first campaign back in the top flight, conceding a mere 41 goals in 34 games. Only defending champion Bayern Munich (32) conceded fewer.
"We'll have a tough nut to crack there," Kovac said. "They go forward with a very direct style of football.
"We'll have to be careful there too, in terms of our own positioning. We have to try to keep the opposition as far from goal as possible."
