Niko Kovac has announced a special victory bonus for BVB as extra motivation

Captain Emre Can (cruciate ligament rupture) and Felix Nmecha (lateral ligament rupture) remain sidelined. Can’s season is over, but Kovac expects Nmecha to return before the campaign ends, saying he is “looking on the bright side” and is “very confident, yet cautious”. Yan Couto, meanwhile, has overcome his muscle issues and is back in the squad.

With second place all but secured, eight points clear of third-placed VfB Stuttgart, and a Champions League berth virtually guaranteed heading into Matchday 30, Kovac is implementing specific measures to maintain high motivation among his squad during the final stretch.

“I’ve reached an agreement with the lads,” he explained. Currently, the squad enjoys one rest day each week, but the Croatian coach added, “They can earn a second day off by winning matches—that incentive is enough to get the players on board.”

Last weekend, however, the plan backfired as the side suffered a 0-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, their third league loss of the campaign. “We still want to win games, and we have to win them,” he emphasised. “It wouldn’t be right to say the season is over and we’re writing it off. We still have plenty of points to collect and can break one or two BVB records. That’s our goal.”