Niko Kovac believes Borussia Dortmund can look back on their 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign with pride ahead of their final league game against Werder Bremen.

Dortmund secured second place with their 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, getting them back to winning ways after their loss to Borussia Monchengladbach the previous week.

They have 70 points on the board this season – in the last nine campaigns, they have only had more at this stage once, in 2018-19 (73). A win here would mark the fifth-best Bundesliga season in the club's history.

And despite having nothing to play for when they travel to Weserstadion, Kovac is determined to finish the season on a high.

"We're taking the game very seriously," Kovac said. "70 points sounds good, 73 sounds even better.

"I could live with 71, but we're going there to win. If someone had told us we'd finish the season as a safe second-place team with 70 points – perhaps even 73 – I would have signed up for that straight away and said it would be a fantastic achievement.

"We can be very happy with what we've accomplished in the Bundesliga."

Werder have had a disappointing season, though they have secured their Bundesliga status despite sitting 15th, as they hold a six-point cushion over the relegation and play-off places.

Their 32 points are their third-lowest tally at this stage of a campaign; only in 2019-20 (28) and 2020-21 (31) have they had fewer after MD33, with both of those seasons ending with them on 31 points.

Like Dortmund, Werder are also playing for pride but come into this match having won just one of their last six league matches (D1 L4).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Werder Bremen – Romano Schmid

With Yukinari Sugawara missing this match through suspension, due to receiving the earliest red card in Werder’s Bundesliga history, even more importance will fall on Schmid.

The Austrian has played in all 33 of Werder’s matches so far this season, while he also tops the assist charts for the club, having registered eight.

Borussia Dortmund – Julian Ryerson

Ryerson has provided 14 assists in the Bundesliga this season, a personal record.

Only Henrikh Mkhitaryan (15 in 2015-16) and Jadon Sancho (16 in 2019-20) have provided more for BVB in a single campaign.

Across the five big European leagues in 2025-26, only three players have more assists: Federico Dimarco (17, Inter), Michael Olise (19, Bayern Munich) and Bruno Fernandes (19, Manchester United).

MATCH PREDICTION: BORUSSIA DORTMUND WIN

Dortmund are unbeaten in their last six matches against Werder in all competitions (W4 D2) – their longest such run against them since a six-game streak under Jurgen Klopp between 2011 and 2014.

The Black and Yellow have only won more Bundesliga games against Eintracht Frankfurt (52) than they have against Bremen (50), while Werder have only lost more top-flight matches against Bayern Munich (65) than they have against BVB.

Dortmund and Werder are meeting for the fifth time on the final matchday of a Bundesliga season, with BVB having won all four previous such encounters.

Werder have won only two of their last 11 Bundesliga home games (D3 L6), picking up just nine of a possible 33 points.

Opponents Dortmund have lost their last two Bundesliga away matches – they last suffered three or more consecutive away defeats in the autumn of 2024 under Nuri Sahin (L4).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Werder Bremen – 29.5%

Draw – 24.1%

Borussia Dortmund – 46.4%