Kovac says Dortmund has a duty to finish strongly
The Bundesliga title race is over after Borussia Dortmund's recent losses helped Bayern Munich secure top spot, but coach Niko Kovac says his side still has a duty to finish strongly.
Dortmund suffered back-to-back defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim, opening the door for Bayern to win the league, and it took that chance last week.
The Black and Yellow remain second in the Bundesliga table with UEFA Champions League qualification well within its grasp, ahead of hosting Freiburg on Monday (AEST).
Kovac has won just two of his 11 top-flight matches against Freiburg, but it is a record he is determined to put right with Dortmund seeking a return to winning ways.
"We want to play the last four games the way we've played for most of the season. We want to pick up wins," he said. "To do that, we need to perform better than we have in the last two games.
"The lads know what's at stake and we need finish a good Bundesliga season in a fitting manner. We have a duty to our club and our fans to pick up more points in the next few games than we did in the last two."
Freiburg comes into the match on the back of being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal semi-final by Stuttgart in midweek, conceding a 119th-minute goal in extra-time to lose 2-1.
In the league, it sits seventh, with only an outside chance of clinching a place in Europe next season, as it is 12 points behind sixth-placed Leverkusen.
But Kovac is still expecting a tough challenge, with Freiburg looking to bounce back from its DFB-Pokal disappointment.
"You've seen all season that Freiburg are a very experienced, very seasoned side who know how they need to play to win," he added.
"I expect a team that will go full throttle for 90 minutes again. We'll have to give it our all. The statistics from recent years mean nothing.
"We need to be on our toes right from the start, and I hope and expect my lads to do just that from the very first minute."
