Borussia Dortmund’s Niko Kovac promises fight ahead of Champions League fixture against Atalanta: “We won’t be playing for a 0-0 draw!” | OneFootball

Ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League second play-off leg against Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has assured reporters that his side won’t be playing for a safe draw. In point of fact, though his press conference took place prior to Bayer Leverkusen’s Tuesday night 0-0 draw with Olympiacos, Kovac’s explicit rejected the Leverkusen tactic.

Borussia Dortmund set for a heated encounter

On the day prior to the second leg of the UCL play-off tie, news involving disputes between the two clubs literally could not stop breaking. Matters were already tense after Dortmund’s 2-0 home win over the Italian representatives. Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino flipped off counterpart Kovac just prior to the post-match handshake. Palladino later explained that he didn’t care for Dortmund’s protest of refereeing decisions during the encounter. 

Kovac later smoothed things over at the post-match press conference, explaining that he didn’t take Palladino’s gesture either seriously or personally. Kovac joked that the whole matter was “nothing more than child’s play.” It remains unclear as to whether – in view of multiple fractures between the two clubs – more “child’s play” will be on display in Bergamo. 

Borussia Dortmund fans have announced a full boycott of the match due to what they deem to be draconian measures taken by both the Italian and German police restricting their attendance. Administrators from both clubs are also not on speaking terms thanks to an old Atalanta grievance over the summer 2024 signing of attacking prospect Samuele Inácio. 

Traditionally, executives from both clubs contesting a European Champions League match get together to share a meal or at least a cordial meeting whenever their teams square off. Speaking to reporters from the local airport, BVB managing director Lars Ricken confirmed that last week’s lunch and tomorrow’s dinner with Atalanta administrators had both been cancelled. 

Niko Kovac confirms positive injury news

After both Emré Can and Nico Schlotterbeck completed the final squad pre-match training session on Tuesday, Kovac effectively confirmed that his two injured defenders would play against Atalanta on Wednesday. The Croat expressed confidence heading into the game knowing that both his official captain and first-choice alternate would be available. 

“It helps when the two captains are on board,” Kovac said. “We’re delighted that they’ve been training with the team. They’ll be ready to play tomorrow. We still have to think about whether and how we’ll use them.“

Kovac promises fight from the team

”We don’t want to just manage the result,” Kovac declared. “We are not a team that manages. Playing for a 0-0 draw is not an option. If we score a goal early on, we will certainly be even more confident. Chances of advancement are still 50-50. Last week’s win was an okay result. Nothing more.“

GGFN | Peter Weis