Three established players injured
Kovaac relies on BVB defense talent in the cup
15.08.2025 – 8:53 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
In the DFB Cup, Borussia Dortmund expects an unpleasant task on Monday. A young defensive player should help with this.
Before the cup start against Rot-Weiss Essen, Dortmund coach Niko Kovač relies on a mixture of reliability and courage. Filippo Mané is to be used on the defensive at the derby against the third division on Monday evening (8:45 p.m. in the live ticker on T-Online). “He can do that. If nothing unexpectedly happened, he gets confidence,” said Kovač on Friday at the press conference before the game.
Despite the failures of Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck and captain Emre Can, the coach sees his team sufficiently set up in the defense. “We will do it to offer three central defenders.” In addition to Mané, Julian Rerson is also an option. Kovač emphasized: “It’s like we definitely have players there.” At the same time, he indicated that the club could become active on the transfer market.
The preparation for the first competitive game of the season was shortened due to the club World Cup. Kovač therefore expects an intensive evening on Hafenstraße: “The hut burns there. But we want to reduce it on a mandatory task.”
The BVB coach makes it clear: “The shortest way to a title is the DFB Cup. Six games win and you get the cup.” He still sent a warning to his team afterwards: “If we believe it works on its own, it will be a long evening.” Essen is a third division team, but also a professional team. “Miracles always happen – but that shouldn’t happen this time.”