Niko Kovac, who will face Werder Bremen in the German Cup, has called for caution against his former player, Fürkluge.

Borussia Dortmund will host Werder Bremen at Signal Iduna Park in the second round of the 2026/27 German Cup. Niko Kovac stated that his team must be wary of the threat posed by former player Füllkrug.

Speaking about Karez, who suffered an ankle ligament injury, Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said, "He's not ready to play yet. I just saw him, and he's only just started to be able to walk in a straight line. But he has a positive attitude, which makes me happy. We will continue to monitor his recovery in the next few games."

In their head-to-head record, Borussia Dortmund have won 2 and drawn 3 of their last 5 matches against Werder Bremen. This includes the fifth round of the Bundesliga this season, where the "Black and Yellows" took the lead with goals from Daniel Svensson and Schlotterbeck, but were eventually equalized by Werder Bremen striker Füllkrug, who previously played for Dortmund, in the final stages.

In addition, Fürkluge is ranked first in the Bundesliga top scorers list this season with 8 goals.

Niko Kovac said, "His most outstanding quality is his goal-scoring ability. He is an excellent player, otherwise he wouldn't be a German international. It's not easy to contain him. He's a huge threat in set pieces and is the target his teammates are always looking for."

"We will be playing at home, which is undoubtedly an advantage, but we can't start thinking about the final in Berlin yet. Tomorrow's match is the next step we need to take. We must take this step well first, and then think about the next step."

Furthermore, Werder Bremen coach Daniel Tione stated, "Our goal is to advance to the next round; we're not just going through the motions. The German Cup is a special tournament, and I've led teams all the way to the semi-finals before. Every team wants to go to Berlin, and to achieve that goal, you have to play against the strongest teams."

"There are no easy matches in the German Cup, and playing away against Dortmund is arguably one of the toughest tests yet. We are not the favorites, while Dortmund is the more favored side. We are looking forward to this match and perhaps we can even spoil their celebration plans."

Image source: Internet