Niko Kovac demands Dortmund victory in Atalanta Champions League clash

Dortmund head into Tuesday's first leg in strong Bundesliga form. A six-match winning run has pulled them firmly back into the title race and restored belief around Signal Iduna Park. However, their European campaign has been far less convincing.

The German side failed to win any of their last three league-phase matches and finished 17th in the standings, leaving them unseeded for the play-off draw. As a result, they now face a tough two-legged tie against the 2024 Europa League winners.

"We want to carry the momentum we have in the Bundesliga at the moment," Kovac said at his pre-match press conference. "We want to take this momentum with our fans."

Dortmund host the Serie A side in the first leg before travelling to Italy for the return fixture on February 25. Kovac made it clear that talk alone will not be enough.

"In the knockout stages, it's all about advancing to the next round," he said. "But we can't do that by talking a lot now, we have to work hard on the pitch. That gives us hope and also the belief that we can be successful in these two games against Atalanta."

Atalanta currently sit sixth in Serie A and have improved domestically since the turn of the year, although their recent European form has also dipped.

"Atalanta have a really great team that has grown over the years, won the Europa League two years ago and are very high up in Italy," Kovac added. "It's going to be very intense. I currently see the chances as 50-50 for both teams. Hopefully, we can travel to Italy with a good result."

For Dortmund, the message is simple: domestic form must now translate into European progress.