Borussia Dortmund kicks off the new Bundesliga season on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) with an away game at FC St. Pauli. BVB coach Niko Kovac is demanding full focus from his team.

Borussia Dortmund kicks off the new Bundesliga season on Saturday (August 23, 6:30 p.m.) with a game against FC St. Pauli. At the press conference ahead of the match, BVB coach Niko Kovac spoke about the opponents from Millerntor.

Last season, Dortmund won the first leg 2-1 against St. Pauli and also came out on top in the return match with a 2-0 victory. To ensure that BVB can hold its own against the Kiezklub on the first matchday, Kovac is demanding full concentration from his team.“No one knows where they stand on the first day of the Bundesliga season. Neither St. Pauli nor BVB, no one,” explained the coach. “In the first few games before the international break, you always hope you’ll do well, but you don’t know for sure. However, our ambitions are clear: we wanted to progress in the cup and score points again in the next game against St. Pauli.” Kovac also emphasized that he and his team are aware of the importance, but also the difficulty, of the upcoming match. “Of course, we’re talking about ourselves, but we also have to talk about our opponents, who had a good season last year, conceded few goals, and, above all, conceded the second fewest goals at home. We’ll have a tough nut to crack there, and it won’t be an easy game. That’s why my boys have to focus again, just like they did against Essen.”

The BVB coach also demands that his players show physical presence on the pitch against St. Pauli and play to their strengths. These are definitely there, as proven by Serhou Guirassy’s goal, which gave Dortmund a 1-0 win against Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round of the DFB Cup with a strong solo effort.

Dortmund will definitely be without Emre Can, Julien Duranville, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Niklas Süle against St. Pauli due to injury, while the injured Julian Ryerson could be an option. Yan Couto, who was doubtful after Essen’s Kelsey Owusu’s brutal foul in the cup game, may also be available.

“It’s looking good so far, he’s been through a lot in training, but he’s still wearing a bandage around his knee,” Kovac revealed. “I’m confident, but of course I don’t know for sure yet.”