Borussia Dortmund wants to assume the role of favorite in the Champions League against the Danish champions FC Copenhagen on Tuesday (9 p.m., live in the Sportschau radio report and in the live ticker). Before the game, coach Niko Kovac praised his creative midfielder Julian Brandt effusively.
“I’m happy. You can see I’m glowing like a reactor”Kovac described his enthusiasm for the 29-year-old with an idiosyncratic comparison. “Jule is a great player and a great person”Kovac replied to a journalist that evening in Copenhagen when asked about the 29-year-old midfielder, who was recently only a substitute at BVB and was often convincing in this role.
Last goalscorer in Munich: Dortmund’s Julian Brandt
“I know what Jule can do. In Mainz he came out of nowhere and decided the game on his own. Jule will start again in the near future. I’m glad I have him.”added Kovac. The head coach currently has many options, especially in the midfield and offensive positions.
Sports show Champions League Live, ARD, October 21, 2025 8:50 p.m
Kovac praises “really nice format”
Dortmund got off to a strong start in the premier class with a 4-4 draw at Juventus Turin and a 4-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao. Kovac called the new mode with eight different opponents “a really nice, good format”. The aim is to get into the top eight with good performances and thus “have the advantage of two games less when we move into the next phase”.
The head coach defended his professional Jobe Bellingham, who, like Brandt, rarely played from the start recently, against criticism. Bellingham came on as a substitute in the 1-2 loss at FC Bayern on Saturday and made a mistake a short time later before conceding the second goal. “I don’t understand the criticism at all. Jobe makes a very, very good impression”said Kovac. He has “no problem”to place the 20-year-old Englishman in Copenhagen. Kovac did not want to commit to personnel.
Sports director Kehl exudes optimism
“We played with them a few years ago. It’s not easy to compete there, but I’m very, very positive.”said BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl about opponents Copenhagen, where ex-Dortmund player Youssoufa Moukoko recently no longer had a regular place. “Wir have an overall stable phase. All hands are mostly on board, so hopefully we can expect a good performance there. We’re going there to win – that’s clear.”
At the same time, Kehl warned not to underestimate the opponent. “Copenhagen has not achieved the results at the moment and is stumbling a bit”he said: “But they are incredibly dangerous, especially in the Champions League, because that is a competition that the boys there particularly embrace.”
Copenhagen came close to winning against Bayer Leverkusen in the premier class with a 2-2 draw at the end of September. In the second game of the competition, the Danes were defeated 2-0 by Qarabag Agdam from Azerbaijan. Things are going mixed for Copenhagen in the domestic league: last year’s champions only won 6 of their 12 league games and are in fourth place.
Our sources:
- German press agency
- Sports Information Service
