Niko Kovac: 'Our trajectory is positive'

This week sees Barça play the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal match against Borussia Dortmund at the Estadi Olímpic (kickoff 9.00pm CEST April 9). Both teams attended the press today, with coach Niko Kovac and player Waldemar Anton representing the German side.

Kovac's ambition

Borussia Dortmund arrive in Barcelona having won their last two Bundesliga matches against Mainz and Freiburg respectively. This has given their coach Niko Kovac a reason to believe, stating "We haven't just come to play, we'll try to leave with a good result".

For a tie in which Barça "is the favourite", Kovac emphasised his side's good work in Europe, going on to say that "Everyone knows Barça are favourites, but no one had us as finalists last year. We have worked very hard and they have to come to Dortmund".

The Barça playing style

The upcoming match will see contrasting styles, as Barça use a high defensive line and Dortmund have quick players who can make the most of balls in behind. Kovac noted this aspect, stating that "we know our strengths and we have very quick players who can create chances through their pace".

Schlotterbeck missing

Another topic to come up was that of the defender Schlotterbeck. The German picked up a left knee injury this weekend that will see him miss at least the next six months. Kovac highlighted his absence, stating that "he is a very important player for us. He is very down and we've supported him as much as we can before the operation".

Stopping the blaugrana attack

Going home with a good result means stopping the three-pronged attack comprising Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine. Defender Waldemar Anton, who made his full international debut for Germany in March, made a point of mentioning just that, saying that "they do so many things well that we can't prepare for everything. We have to defend very well as a team and if we do what we know how to do well, we can come out of it positively" noted the German player.

All the makings of a high octane match!