Kovac Revels in Dortmund's Bundesliga Summit: 'We're Enjoying This Position' Ahead of Bremen Clash

Niko Kovac has insisted his Borussia Dortmund side are "enjoying this position" after heading into the international break at the top of the early Bundesliga standings — and the BVB boss is refusing to let the moment carry his players away.

Dortmund are the only team to have won all four of their league matches so far this season, a run cemented by their 1-0 victory over Stuttgart before the extended pause in league action. It is the first time the club have achieved that feat in 11 years, and a win against Werder Bremen this Friday would equal a club record previously set in 2013-14 and 2015-16.

"The lads have worked hard for this. It's just a snapshot. We've played a little more than 10% of the Bundesliga games," Kovac said ahead of the Bremen fixture.

"We're enjoying this position right now, but we also know we have a responsibility to keep working hard to hold onto it for as long as possible.

"Now the goal is to get back into the rhythm. I hope we can pull it off, put in a good performance against Bremen, and pick up the points we need to get back into the flow."

Kovac's caution is understandable given the fixture congestion ahead. The clash with Bremen opens a hectic October in which Dortmund play seven games across all competitions, including a mouth-watering tie with defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on October 31. Games against Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt also await, alongside Champions League meetings with Bodo/Glimt and Sabah and a second-round DFB-Pokal tie with Bremen before the trip to Bayern.

Dortmund have not won the Bundesliga since 2011-12, when now-Germany boss Jurgen Klopp was at the helm, but Kovac is wary of looking too far ahead. As reported on September 21, Dortmund moved to the summit with a disciplined 1-0 win at Stuttgart — their fourth straight victory under Kovac — with Maximilian Beier scoring the winner from a Jobe Bellingham assist, while managing director Lars Ricken set a modest target of "annoying Bayern a bit."

Fullkrug Returns to Signal Iduna Park

The meeting with Bremen will also see Niclas Fullkrug return to Signal Iduna Park. The 33-year-old turned out for BVB during the 2023-24 campaign, recording 20 goal involvements (12 goals, eight assists) in 29 Bundesliga appearances before difficult spells at West Ham and AC Milan. He joined Bremen on loan from Milan and has now scored four goals in five matches across all competitions, equalling his total from the previous two seasons combined.

Fullkrug could now score in four consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in his career, but Kovac said the in-form striker was not Dortmund's main concern.

"He feels at home there and will naturally be motivated to play against his former team-mates," Kovac added. "But it's not just about him. There are 10 other players on the field we have to deal with. We have to impose our style of play, and it doesn't matter who's playing on the other side."

Bremen have also made a strong start to the campaign, sitting eighth after four games following their 3-2 triumph against Augsburg in their last league outing. It is their best start to a Bundesliga season since 2020-21, with seven points from their first four matches, and they have picked up points in three consecutive top-flight games for the first time under Daniel Thioune (W2 D1). Friday's visitors have already gained four points from losing positions in the Bundesliga this season, a league-high alongside Augsburg, and their recent 3-2 win against Augsburg was the first time in two years that Werder Bremen won a Bundesliga match after trailing by two goals.

Players to Watch

Borussia Dortmund – Maximilian Beier: Beier has recorded three goal involvements in the Bundesliga this season (one goal, two assists), with only Serhou Guirassy managing more for the club (four). In 2026, only Deniz Undav (17) has recorded more direct goal involvements in the Bundesliga among German players than Beier (12 — six goals, six assists).

Werder Bremen – Marco Grull: Grull was directly involved in three goals in his 67th Bundesliga appearance last time out (one goal, two assists) and is the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with six goal involvements (two goals, four assists). Since Opta began recording this data in 2004-05, only Miroslav Klose in 2005-06 (six) and Ivan Klasnic in 2005-06 (seven) have recorded at least as many goal involvements for Bremen in the first four matchdays of a Bundesliga season.

Match Prediction: Borussia Dortmund Win

Dortmund are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Bremen in all competitions (W5 D2) — the joint-longest such run by either side in this fixture. Bremen have won only one of their last 15 Bundesliga meetings with BVB (D5 L9), a 3-2 away victory in August 2022.

BVB have also won their last six matches in all competitions, equalling their record under Kovac, having previously achieved the run in April and May 2025. The last time they enjoyed a longer winning streak in all competitions was between January and March 2023 under Edin Terzic (10).

Kovac's side have been solid at the back, too. As in the previous season, Dortmund have kept three clean sheets in their first four league matches — and since the start of last season they have recorded 18 clean sheets, more than any other Bundesliga team in that period.

Opta win probability: Borussia Dortmund 67.1%, Draw 18.2%, Werder Bremen 14.7%.