Sat Nov 08 15:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Kovac Era Fuels Dortmund Revival, Watzke Praises “Stroke of Luck”

Dortmund, Germany – November 8, 2025, 11:00 AM – Borussia Dortmund’s resurgence under manager Niko Kovac continues to impress, with club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke showering the coach with praise. After extending Kovac’s contract early, Dortmund’s faith in the coach appears to be paying dividends, as the team currently sits high in the Bundesliga standings.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Watzke hailed Kovac as a “stroke of luck” for the club. “Niko has been a stroke of luck for us. He’s doing a very, very good job, is very calm, and we both have an exceptionally good relationship – which is really good. But he has to prove himself again every three days, ideally on Saturday in Hamburg,” Watzke said.

Highlighting the strong relationship between leadership and coach is particularly significant given past internal tensions at the club.

When asked about Dortmund’s potential to return to the “world’s elite,” Watzke remained cautious. “You can’t get back to the top of the world in football by announcing it loudly – you have to work hard for it. But we will at least see that we get closer again,” he stated.

Looking ahead, Dortmund faces a challenging DFB-Pokal draw against Bayer Leverkusen. Watzke quipped, “We’ve been getting disaster draws for years now – so I didn’t expect anything else. At least this time it’s a home game. I think we haven’t played at home for three years – we’ve at least achieved that. We’re tackling it head-on, and it will definitely be a great game.”

This article was produced in collaboration with neunzigplus.de.

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