BVB host Leipzig – “An important match for both teams”

The 4-1 victory over the Spanish side in the UEFA Champions League left no lasting effects on the players. “Everything is fine so far. No one is injured, no one has any complaints,” said Kovac about his squad. Those who played took part in a recovery session on Thursday morning, while the others were on the pitch for substitute training. Bilbao are now behind us, and we are fully focused on Leipzig – the last game of this English week and the last game before the next international break.

Unbeaten in the league since March

The Black & Yellows' last Bundesliga defeat came in their most recent encounter with the Saxons. In March 2025, Borussia lost 2-0 away from home. Since then, however, the Black & Yellows have gone 13 games unbeaten in the league, most recently winning four in a row against Union, in Heidenheim, against Wolfsburg and in Mainz. Kovac attributes the development of recent months primarily to “the time factor, daily collaboration, video analysis and implementation on the training ground”. “What do the processes look like? That’s a very crucial point,” explains the coach. “With every single good game, with every single result, confidence in our own abilities naturally grows. The consistency is there.”

This consistency has seen BVB climb to second place in the table (13 points) in what is still a young season, with Leipzig just one point behind in third place. After a 6-0 defeat in their opening game away to Bayern Munich, the Saxons have won all four of their subsequent games (against Heidenheim, in Mainz, against Cologne and in Wolfsburg). However, after finishing seventh last season, Leipzig are not currently playing in Europe and had the week off. “Leipzig have done a lot of things really well since their first Bundesliga game. They have won their last four games, just like us. That’s why they are rightly third at the moment,” said Kovac, who also highlighted the role of Ole Werner, who has been in charge since the start of the season: “You can see that it takes time to implement your ideas. You have to give the coach that time. Leipzig have done that, so you can see the team making progress week after week. Of course, they also have the advantage of only playing once a week and not twice, like we do.”

Although the most recent match in Leipzig was lost, BVB won the last home game against Saxony 2-1 in November 2024. Maximilian Beier not only scored himself, but also set up Serhou Guirassy for a goal (final score: 2-1). With another win on Saturday, BVB would not only have extended their winning streak, but also increased the gap to a direct competitor. For Niko Kovac, one thing is clear: “It’s a very important game for both teams.”