Niko Kovac has set the tone for Borussia Dortmund ahead of Dortmund Vs Betis in the Champions League: there is only one direction, and that is to win. The Dortmund coach did not dress it up, telling his side they must be ready to impose themselves when they host Real Betis on Wednesday.
The timing matters because Dortmund go into the match with six points from their first three games, built on wins over Villarreal and Sabah and a 1-0 loss to Bodo/Glimt. That leaves them with a W2 L1 split in the competition, while Real Betis arrive as one of five teams still perfect after three matches. For Dortmund, the margin for error is already smaller than it would be for a team carrying an unbroken run.
Kovac said attitude, passion and intensity would decide the night, and he added that if his team bring the same level they showed at the weekend, the shape behind them matters less than the way they play. That is a pointed message for a side that has also been productive at home in the Champions League, with only two defeats in their last 24 home games, alongside 15 wins, seven draws, 52 goals scored and 18 conceded.
There is also recent form to lean on. Dortmund are on four consecutive wins against Spanish teams in the Champions League, a run that gives them a practical reason to believe they can handle another opponent from that country. But the record does not erase the fact that Betis have won all three of their matches so far, and that contrast is what gives Wednesday’s game its edge.
Gregor Kobel pushed the same line from the dressing room, saying Dortmund are at a very, very high athletic level and feel ready to perform every few days. It is not an idle claim. This is Dortmund’s eighth game in the last three weeks, and the goalkeeper said the team’s morale was already high before the 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, which came after a late Fabio Silva goal. That kind of workload can drain a side, but it can also sharpen it if the legs still hold.
The unresolved part is whether Dortmund can turn that home strength and that heavy schedule into control against a Betis side that has not dropped a point in the competition. Kovac has made the demand plain. On Wednesday, Dortmund will find out whether wanting the win is enough, or whether they can make their strongest European habits count when the pressure is on.
