Dortmund relishing pressure of being top dog
Niko Kovac insisted his Borussia Dortmund team is "enjoying this position" after entering the international break at the top of the early Bundesliga standings.
Dortmund is the only team to win all four of its league matches so far this season, after its 1-0 victory over Stuttgart prior to the extended pause in league action.
It is the first time BVB has achieved that feat in 11 years, while a win against Werder Bremen this Saturday would equal a club record, previously set in 2013-2014 and 2015-2016.
Its clash with Bremen marks the start of a hectic fixture list for Kovac's side, with Dortmund playing seven games across all competitions in October.
A mouth-watering tie with defending Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich takes place on 31 October, with games against Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt also to come.
Dortmund also faces Bodo/Glimt and Sabah in the Champions League, while it also takes on Bremen in the second round of the DFB-Pokal before travelling to Bayern.
BVB has not won the Bundesliga since 2011-2012, when Jurgen Klopp was at the helm, though Kovac did not want to get carried away at this early stage.
"The lads have worked hard for this. It's just a snapshot. We've played a little more than 10% of the Bundesliga games," he said.
"We're enjoying this position right now, but we also know we have a responsibility to keep working hard to hold onto it for as long as possible.
"Now the goal is to get back into the rhythm. I hope we can pull it off, put in a good performance against Bremen, and pick up the points we need to get back into the flow."
Bremen has also made a strong start to the Bundesliga campaign, sitting eighth after four games after its 3-2 triumph against Augsburg in its last league outing.
The clash with Dortmund will also see Niclas Fullkrug return to Signal Iduna Park, with the 33 year-old having turned out for BVB during the 2023-2024 campaign.
During his time with Dortmund, he recorded 20 goal involvements in 29 Bundesliga appearances, before difficult spells at West Ham and AC Milan.
He joined Bremen on loan from Milan and has now scored four goals in five matches across all competitions, equalling his total from the previous two seasons combined.
Fullkrug could now score in four consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in his career, but Kovac said the in-form striker was not Dortmund's main priority.
"He feels at home there and will naturally be motivated to play against his former team-mates," Kovac said. "But it’s not just about him.
"There are 10 other players on the field we have to deal with. We have to impose our style of play, and it doesn’t matter who’s playing on the other side."
Niko Kovač
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund
