Niko Kovac is aware of his Borussia Dortmund aspect stay a piece in progress however he sees indicators of enchancment forward of their Champions League last-16 tie towards Lille.

Kovac, a former Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich, took cost of Dortmund on the finish of January following the dismissal of Nuri Sahin.

He guided BVB previous Sporting CP within the Champions League play-off spherical, with their reward being a round-of-16 assembly with Lille, who they host within the first leg on Tuesday.

Dortmund have solely misplaced one in every of their final 16 residence matches within the Champions League (10 wins, 5 attracts), with that lone defeat coming towards Barcelona final December (2-3).

They’re additionally unbeaten of their final 5 residence video games within the knockout phases of the competitors (4 wins, one draw), having gone all the best way to the ultimate final time period.

Dortmund are languishing in tenth place within the Bundesliga and are prone to lacking out on European qualification for subsequent season, however Kovac is having fun with the problem of reviving them.

“We have now turn into extra settled, we work exhausting every single day on the coaching floor and within the assembly room. We’re nonetheless removed from the place we wish to be. However the best way the boys are going together with it pleases me,” Kovac instructed reporters.

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He added that Lille shall be formidable opponents, saying: “They play a really versatile model of soccer. This may demand a variety of energy and focus from us.

“They didn’t make it into the highest eight for nothing and have, for instance, crushed Actual Madrid. It’s going to be a tricky nut to crack.”

The 2 groups have solely met as soon as earlier than in European competitors, with Dortmund profitable on away objectives in a two-legged UEFA Cup last-16 tie in 2002.

Given Dortmund’s sturdy residence report in Europe, Kovac believes the passionate assist they obtain on the Westfalenstadion could possibly be a key benefit for his crew.

He mentioned: “Our stadium, it’s an enormous citadel. It’s robust to play right here – very difficult and really exhausting. I hope we will use the environment to make an impression on Lille.”