Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac says it would not be a disaster if they don’t get maximum points against Mamelodi Sundowns in their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup meeting tomorrow.
The two sides meet for round 2 of their Group F, with Sundowns on top with three points after beating Ulsan HD, while Dortmund and Fluminense played out to a goalless draw.
In his 21 games since taking charge of the club, the Croatian has won 12 games, four draws and five defeats since his appointment and will come under slight pressure to get their first win of the competition.
“You can’t say disaster, this is a hard word, but uh, as you see at the moment in this tournament, you see the club’s from the South, I think they have an advantage because of the conditions, of the heat,” Kovac said.
“We’re expecting, every team, as I mentioned before, this is a very good team from South Africa, so we know exactly that we need a win but overall, if it is a draw, it also keeping us in the race – so nothing lost, but our ambition is to win the next two games.
“I think this is also the ambition of Sundowns also, so don’t always use these strong words because it’s not useful I would say.”
Dortmund and Sundowns do battle at the TQL Stadium On Saturday afternoon 18h00.
