Niko Kovac expects a “real hurdle” as Borussia Dortmund prepares to face Bayer Leverkusen for the second time in four days, hosting the DFB-Pokal round of 16 on Tuesday.
Dortmund recorded a narrow 2-1 Bundesliga victory over the Werkself on Saturday, with headers from Aaron Anselmino and Karim Adeyemi proving decisive at the BayArena.
Christian Kofane sparked Leverkusen’s comeback hopes with a late goal, but Kasper Hjulmand’s side were left with missed chances as both Jonas Hofmann and Ernest Poku hit the woodwork.
Despite picking up three points this weekend, Kovac is under no illusions that Tuesday’s cup tie will be easier, although he welcomes the return to Signal Iduna Park.
“It is very important that we play at home,” he said at the press conference on Monday. “But that doesn’t mean it will be an easy victory.
“I would love it if my team could be that [at the final in May] But to do that, we first have to overcome a real hurdle tomorrow.”
Dortmund are currently unbeaten in twelve straight home games in all competitions, and will look to extend that run in what will be the first ever DFB-Pokal meeting between the two clubs.
“We just played a very intense match,” Kovac added, referring to Saturday’s league match. “[Leverkusen] demanded everything from us on Saturday, and will demand everything from us again tomorrow.
“It was exciting, but we deserved to win. Now it’s a new game, it will be difficult. It will come down to the small details, they will decide this game.”
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Since winning the DFB-Pokal in 2020/21, Dortmund have failed to reach the quarter-finals in three of the past four seasons. Only FC Köln (10 times) has been eliminated in the last 16 more times this century than Black and Yellow (nine).
Leverkusen, meanwhile, seize the opportunity to quickly make amends for their profligacy, although Kasper Hjulmand believes the back-to-back encounters remove any element of surprise.
“It’s unusual to play the same opponent twice in three days,” he said. “We expect another exciting match and not many differences.
“We know the opponent and they know us. Dortmund has a clear playing style. It will be difficult for both parties to cause a surprise.”
“We were on the same page in many areas. We now have to improve the little things that were wrong.”
The Werkself are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal for the third season in a row, and a win on Tuesday would equal their club record for consecutive quarter-finals (three between 1992-94 and 2014-16).
“Our goal is to win against the best teams,” Hjulmand continued. “Victories accelerate our development, so this is a great period, and these games are very important for us.
“Yes, we lost the first one [game] against Dortmund, but there are some truths behind the result, namely that we played well. We are ready for the next match.”
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