BVB’s penalty dilemma before Leverkusen clash, Kovac clear on stance | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund faces the cup duel with Leverkusen – and coach Niko Kovac draws attention with a clear penalty statement.

For the second time in a few days, Borussia Dortmund meets Bayer Leverkusen – this time on Tuesday (9 PM) for a spot in the DFB-Pokal semifinals. BVB travels with fresh memories of a dramatic progression: In the 2nd round, Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt only in a penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saving the decisive attempt from Farès Chaibi.

It's no secret that the Black and Yellows haven't always been secure from the spot this season. Only one of the last three league penalties found the back of the net, and internal discussions about the takers – such as between Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy – have caused unrest. Nevertheless, coach Niko Kovac sees no reason to schedule special training sessions.

“I don't believe in training penalty shootouts,” the BVB coach made clear in the press conference. The reasons for this are obvious to him: The unique pressure in the stadium simply cannot be replicated in a training environment. “80,000 in the stadium and you have to run from the halfway line to the goal. You can't simulate that,” he emphasized.

Kovac relies on self-confidence at BVB instead of penalty training

The Croatian also referred to his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, when he won three penalty shootouts in 2017 – without having trained a single round beforehand. This experience apparently reinforced his approach in the long term.

Despite recent uncertainties, the coach remains calm. If it comes to another showdown from the spot, he will decide on short notice who will step up. There are several candidates: In addition to the successful shooters from the Frankfurt game – including Niklas Süle, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Felix Nmecha – players like Bensebaini, Guirassy, Julian Brandt, or Marcel Sabitzer could also take responsibility.

Fundamentally, Kovac relies on his players' self-confidence: “If they feel confident, they should go and smash it in.” And if it turns into another nerve-wracking situation, the coach has a clear message: “Then we'll win it through penalties if necessary.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.