Kovac ready for ‘real hurdle’ as Dortmund gear up for DFB-Pokal rematch with Leverkusen

Niko Kovac is anticipating a "real hurdle" as Borussia Dortmund prepare to face Bayer Leverkusen for the second time in four days, hosting them in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 on Tuesday.

Dortmund claimed a narrow 2-1 Bundesliga victory over the Werkself on Saturday, with headers from Aaron Anselmino and Karim Adeyemi proving decisive at BayArena.

Christian Kofane sparked hopes of a Leverkusen comeback with a late goal, but Kasper Hjulmand's side were left to rue missed chances as both Jonas Hofmann and Ernest Poku struck the woodwork.

Despite taking three points at the weekend, Kovac is under no illusion that Tuesday's cup tie will be any easier, though he welcomes the return to Signal Iduna Park.

"It's very important that we’re playing at home," he said at Monday’s press conference. "But that doesn't mean it will be an easy win.

"I would be delighted if my team could be [at the final in May] but to do that, we first have to overcome a real hurdle tomorrow."

Dortmund are currently unbeaten in 12 straight home matches across all competitions, and will look to extend that run in what will be the first-ever DFB-Pokal meeting between the two clubs.

"We just played a very intense game," Kovac added, referring to Saturday's league clash. "[Leverkusen] demanded everything from us on Saturday, and will demand everything from us again tomorrow.

"It was close and tight, but we deserved to win. Now, it's a new game, it will be difficult. It will come down to the small details, they will decide this game."

Since winning the DFB-Pokal in 2020-21, Dortmund have failed to reach the quarter-finals in three of the last four seasons. Only FC Koln (10 times) have been eliminated in the last 16 more often this century than the Black and Yellow (nine).

Leverkusen, meanwhile, are relishing the chance to make swift amends for their profligacy, though Kasper Hjulmand believes the back-to-back encounters remove any element of surprise.

"It's an unusual thing to play the same opponent twice in the space of three days," he said. "We expect another tight game and not many differences.

"We know the opponent and they know us. Dortmund have a clear style of play. It'll be tough for either side to pull a surprise.

"We were on a par in many areas. We now need to improve on the little things that weren't right."

The Werkself are aiming to reach the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals for the third straight season, and a win on Tuesday would equal their club record for consecutive quarter-final appearances (three between 1992-94 and 2014-16).

"Our goal is to win against the best teams," Hjulmand continued. "Wins accelerate our development, so this is a great period, and these games are very important for us.

"Yes, we lost the first [game] against Dortmund, but there are some truths behind the result, which are that we played well. We're ready for the next game."