Niko Kovac's plan for the match against Kiel: "That's very important to me" | OneFootball

The Black & Yellows have it in their own hands on Saturday: A home victory over Holstein Kiel by a margin of at least two goals would see BVB clinch a Champions League place regardless of the outcome of the battle between direct rivals Frankfurt and Freiburg, provided there is not an exceptionally high-scoring game in Freiburg. Coach Niko Kovac's team are currently in fifth place, whose occupant will qualify for the UEFA Europa League, with 54 points. The gap to Freiburg in fourth place is only one point, while Frankfurt are third in the table with 57 points.

Yes, Kovac sees the match against Holstein Kiel on Saturday as a final for a Champions League spot, but: "We've had many finals over the course of the last weeks. We were required to win those matches, we wanted to win them and we did win them," said the BVB head coach in reference the triumphs of recent weeks. No team have picked up as many points (25) and scored as many goals (31) as BVB over the course of the last 11 Bundesliga matchdays. There have only been 13 goals conceded – a record only FC Bayern can match (also 13).

And that is precisely why Borussia will approach the final match of the Bundesliga season in the same way they have the games in recent weeks. "We won't change anything about our procedures," explained Kovac. "That's very important to me, because the last weeks have shown that we've got a lot right. That's why we've planned this entire week of training in the same way as the weeks before."

Like the weeks before, BVB must win their match in order to finish in a Champions League place. In contrast to Borussia, opponents Holstein Kiel already know the outcome of their season. At the end of the first Bundesliga campaign in Kiel's club history, the Northern Germans will be making their return to the 2. Bundesliga. Their fate was sealed in the 2-1 defeat to SC Freiburg last Saturday. But Kiel, who will be supported by almost 8,000 fans at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, will want to bid farewell to the Bundesliga with a victory, as Holstein coach Marcel Rapp announced at the press conference on Thursday morning.

That is exactly what Borussia have prepared themselves for and they will not underestimate Kiel, who won the first meeting with BVB in January by a 4-2 scoreline. "They have a team that counter-attack very strongly, that are dangerous and that have not performed too badly in their recent away matches," explained Kovac in reference to Kiel's wins in Augsburg (3-1) and in Gladbach (4-3). "It won't be easy but we want to achieve it. To that end, we need to give everything."

"Take the final step"

In addition to central defender Nico Schlotterbeck and striker Maximilian Beier, the BVB coach will also be without the suspended Pascal Groß. As for Ramy Bensebaini, who came away from the match against Leverkusen with a bandaged leg, Kovac has signalled the all-clear. "It's nothing bad, Ramy has taken part in every training session."

Much like the personnel, the plan for Saturday is set in stone – with a win against Kiel "we will achieve what we've all been dreaming of," said Kovac. For that to happen, Borussia need to show the qualities that have made them so formidable over the course of recent weeks and have ensured that they have their fate in their own hands heading into the final matchday. "That's a nice feeling. We've been working towards it for long enough," explained Kovac, adding: "And now it's about taking the final step."