Dortmund's belief growing with every win, says Kovac ahead of Leipzig test

Niko Kovac believes Borussia Dortmund's confidence is growing with every victory ahead of Saturday's clash with RB Leipzig, as they bid to go top of the Bundesliga.

With Dortmund playing before leaders Bayern Munich – the only team with a 100% record after five games – they have a chance to move to the summit with a victory.

BVB have won their last four Bundesliga games to nil following a 3-3 draw with St. Pauli on the opening matchday, while they also have four points from two Champions League games.

With 13 points from five games, Dortmund have made their best Bundesliga start in eight years, matching their 2015-16 tally.

They are one of only three teams – alongside opponents Leipzig and Bayern – to take maximum points from the last four matchdays, while they also trounced Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in Europe on Wednesday.

Asked what has changed for BVB, who last lost a game at the Club World Cup in July, Kovac said: "It's the time factor, daily collaboration, video analysis and implementation on the training ground.

"What do the processes look like? That's a very crucial point. With every single good game, with every single result, confidence in our own abilities naturally grows. The consistency is there."

On his relationship with the club's fans, the former Bundesliga title winner said: "We fit. I believe the relationship with the fans and the club is very good. We're simple, we're not special, not crazy – we're just normal people."

Leipzig are only a point behind Dortmund, having not dropped points since they were trounced 6-0 by Bayern on matchday one.

The 12 points collected by new boss Ole Werner are the second-best start by any Leipzig coach after five Bundesliga games, after Julian Nagelsmann overseeing a return of 13 points in 2019.

"Leipzig have done a lot of things really well since their first Bundesliga game. They have won their last four games, just like us. That’s why they are rightly third," Kovac said. 

"You can see that it takes time to implement your ideas. You have to give the coach that time. Leipzig have done that, so you can see their team making progress week after week. Of course, they also have the advantage of only playing once a week and not twice, like we do."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Borussia Dortmund – Julian Brandt

Julian Brandt recorded at least two assists in a Bundesliga match for the 10th time against Mainz last time out, a feat only bettered by Thomas Muller (22) and Franck Ribery (15) since detailed Opta data collection began in 2004-05. 

Prior to last week, the last time Brandt achieved this feat was against RB Leipzig in December 2023.

RB Leipzig – Johan Bakayoko

Leipzig have recorded the most direct attacks (12) in the Bundesliga this season, while Dortmund have completed the most sequences of 10 or more passes (104).

Speedy winger Johan Bakayoko scored his second goal of the campaign at Wolfsburg last week, while only Antonio Nusa (six) has bettered his five shot-ending carries this term.

MATCH PREDICTION – BORUSSIA DORTMUND WIN

Dortmund have lost six of their last eight Bundesliga meetings with RB Leipzig (W2), their most defeats against any side in the German top flight since the start of 2021-22, though both of their wins in this run came at home.

And Leipzig have won each of their last four Bundesliga matches, just one fewer than they managed in their first 20 league games of 2025 (W5). 

They last won five consecutive Bundesliga matches under Marco Rose between April and May 2023.

However, Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 13 Bundesliga matches (W11 D2), picking up 35 of a possible 39 points in that span.

Only Bayern Munich have matched that return, with Dortmund's last defeat coming against Leipzig in a 2-0 away loss in mid-March.

BVB have won their last four Bundesliga matches without conceding a goal – equalling their longest-ever such run, last achieved under Lucien Favre in October 2020. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Borussia Dortmund – 53.6%

RB Leipzig – 24.9%

Draw – 21.5%