Niko Kovac discussed the situation and offered a constructive perspective on personnel issues on the eve of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter at Atalanta (18:45 CET, live on DAZN). Borussia Dortmund wants to guarantee their spot in the round of 16 in the second leg following a 2-0 victory at home.

“We’re definitely not coming here to manage the game and the outcome,” the scenario states. Kovac declared, “We want to try to impose our own game because that won’t get us anywhere.” We’ll feel much more confident if BVB is able to “score a goal.” The 2-0 first-leg lead was characterized by the head coach as “a good result, but nothing more.” We will therefore obviously concentrate on our game. We must be competent and smart, and we must push ourselves to the limit if we hope to move on to the next round. Additionally, there is always a 100% limit.

Personnel issues
Only Niklas Süle and Filippo Mane are out from the team, while Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can are back! “They are also eligible for selection if they workout with the team. Naturally, having both captains on the team is beneficial, according to Kovac. That does not, however, imply that both will begin: “We need to talk about that once again. They will assist us when necessary in a crucial and undoubtedly tough game. (The team)

For the first time, Jobe Bellingham sat next to the head coach at an international press conference. After joining BVB in June of last year, the 20-year-old Englishman said, “It has been a good next step for me and for my development.” “I’ve enjoyed playing, and the last few games have been successful,” he continued. My physical condition has improved thanks to the coach.

The adversary
Atalanta is now in seventh in the standings, one point behind Juventus in fifth, following four victories and a draw in their previous five league games, most recently a 2-1 comeback victory over third-place and defending champions SSC Napoli. According to the data, the 1907-founded team has never defeated a German team by two goals or more at home and has never recovered from a two-goal deficit from the first leg of a European competition. In a small stadium, Niko Kovac anticipates a “heated atmosphere”: “There will be singing for ninety minutes.” Additionally, the Atalanta players (ed.) will undoubtedly receive all the assistance they require in order to perform well.
Rupert, Boris