‘We need team spirit’ – Niko Kovac on Borussia Dortmund’s crisis | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund have just three wins in 10 games and have suffered five losses in seven Bundesliga games in 2025. Speaking at Tuesday’s press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Sporting CP, Niko Kovac discussed the current crisis.

“I’ve had a lot of lows in my career,” said Kovac. “The key is to get back up again. That’s the difficulty. Sometimes it takes a little longer, sometimes it goes quicker.

“We need team spirit. It’s not an easy situation. We want to fill our head with positive things.”

Die Schwarzgelben already have one foot in the Champions League Round of 16 after their 3-0 win in Lisbon with goals from Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Groß and Karim Adeyemi, but Kovac remains wary of the threat that Sporting CP pose.

“We have only survived the first part of this round,” added Kovac. “We are going into this game with full focus.”

Borussia Dortmund come into this game following a 2-0 defeat against Ruhr neighbours Bochum, which puts the club in 11th and eight points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig.

Speaking at Tuesday’s press conference, Groß also commented on the club’s situation.

“We have to regain our self-confidence through training, do things right in everyday life in order to get back on a better path,” said the 33-year-old.

GGFN | By Daniel Pinder