“We’ll have to work really hard”

The match between Borussia Dortmund and the Wolves on Sunday 7 May (kick-off 17:30 CEST), will bring Matchday 31 to a close. The Green-and-Whites underlined their European credentials last time out with a 3-0 win over Mainz and have very much raised their game over the past few months, reaping the rewards in the table with just one defeat in their last nine matches.

With this current run of form overall and in particular away from home throughout the season, the Wolves will be keen to take something from their trip to Dortmund. In his press conference before the match, head coach Niko Kovac spoke about how he rates his team’s chances, as well as discussing…

… player availability: “None of Maxence Lacroix, Paulo Otavio and Lukas [Nmecha] will be available for us.”

… Micky van de Ven returning from suspension: “I’m looking forward to having Micky back, particularly since we’re a central defender down with Maxence Lacroix being out. He’ll bring back a stabilising presence who can help us both on the ball and also when we’re not in possession. We can play with three or four at the back and we’ll see which way we go.”

… Sunday’s opponents: “Dortmund have been the best team in the second half of the season, picked up the most points and won pretty much all of their home games. With the crowd behind them, they’re a real powerhouse at home. They have a coach who has got the team back on the right track. They have a mixture of youth and experience, they’re very confident on the ball, can dominate possession and also turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye. That all makes it very tough for the opposition, but I hope that we’ll be able to counter with a few things of our own and take our chances when they come.”

… the club’s record against BVB: “It’s really tough to get a win in Dortmund, and not just for VfL. In the first half of the season though, we managed to stop the run that BVB had enjoyed in Wolfsburg because we got an early lead, defended well and stayed focused. We’ll have to be brave on Sunday because if you go out there merely looking to avoid confrontation, you’ll soon end up under pressure. We’ll have to work really hard.”