"We have to be sharp" - Niko Kovac coy on who's going to play against Sabah FK tonight
Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac refused to disclose any details on which players would play in Baku tonight as Sabah FK host them in the Champions League.
The BVB are going through a form slump right now, failing to win any of their three games post the international break, including a 1-0 loss on their last European outing against Bodo/Glimt.
Sabah are making their Champions League debut this season but Niko Kovac isn't taking them for granted. Speaking in his last press conference before the match, he said:
We’re taking the opponent seriously, especially since they won 2-0 here against Prague in their last game. We have to be sharp, and I hope that as the game goes on, we can show the qualities we undoubtedly possess. We’re the clear favorites here, and we want to—and must—win this game.
Manchester United handed the Azeri side a baptism by fire with a clinical 4-0 thrashing at Old Trafford on matchday one but Sabah recovered to beat Slavia Praha 2-0 at home on matchday two, courtesy of second-half goals from Kaheem Parris and Joy-Lance Mickels.
As much as Dortmund would like to win here, Kovac is dealing with a few injuries. Long-term absentees Emre Can and Giannis Konstantelias aren't expected to return before 2027 as both are recovering from an ACL tear, whereas Justin Lerma remains out with a muscle problem too.
Konstantinos Karetsas joined them in the treatment room at the weekend after twisting his ankle during a duel with Union Berlin's Rani Khedira, which is now forcing him out of their next two matches, including the one against Sabah tonight.
Kovac still refused to divulge any information on who is going to play tonight at the Baku Olympic Stadium, sounding rather coy on his team selection for matchday three of their Champions League campaign in the League Phase:
We’ll have to see how the lads are doing. Today is the second day after the game, and we had a five-hour flight. Today we’ll check in with them a bit and see how one or the other player is feeling. After all, it’s also about bringing in fresh legs.
That last line indicates we could be in for some surprise selections again, as the manager seeks to shake up his starting XI. Serhou Guirassy could replace Fabio Silva as their striker upfront while Julian Ryerson is also expected to come in at the right. Joey Veerman, who didn't play a single minute of their Berlin draw, is also gunning for a start tonight.
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