Kovac tries positive approach for Mainz event
Borussia Dortmund will take things game by game with its hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification hanging by a thread, coach Niko Kovac said ahead of this weekend's Bundesliga match against Mainz.
Dortmund, which takes on Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals next month, has struggled in the Bundesliga and is 11th with 35 points, 10 points off fourth place.
It has eight games left to play this campaign, with the first of those coming against third-placed Mainz on Monday (AEDT).
With 45 points after 26 games, Mainz is enjoying its best Bundesliga campaign. It has never been in the top three this late in any previous domestic season in Germany.
Dortmund, meanwhile, has taken only six points from six league games under Kovac since he took charge, the worst start by any coach since Jurgen Rober, who also oversaw two wins and four losses.
"It is only about the game against Mainz," Kovac said. "We have to win it any way we can.
"We are expected to win this game. We are not looking at the eight remaining matches but focusing only on the game this weekend."
Dortmund entered the international break on the back of two straight defeats, going down to Augsburg and RB Leipzig.
"We have to win the game on Sunday and to do it we need a top performance over most of the game," Kovac said.
"No team can dominate over 90 minutes. But we have to make sure we do it for more than 45 minutes.
"If we do that, then we have good chances of winning the game."
