For Borussia Dortmund, this is not the sort of Champions League night where caution feels useful. Niko Kovac made that much clear before the Real Betis visit, setting the tone with a blunt message: at home, with the crowd behind them, there is only one direction — to win.
That framing fits Dortmund’s recent European form. They had taken six points from three Champions League matches before facing Real Betis, with wins over Villarreal and Sabah and a 1-0 loss to Bodo/Glimt leaving them with work still to do. It is not a perfect record, but it is a workable one, especially for a team that has already shown it can respond to setbacks without losing its competitive edge.
A home record that still matters
The case for Dortmund is strengthened by what they have done at home in the competition. They had lost only two of their last 24 Champions League home games, a run that says a lot about the setting and even more about how difficult it is for visiting sides to control the rhythm at this stadium. Dortmund do not need to be flawless to make home advantage count; they need to be forceful, organized and direct in the moments that matter.
Kovac’s message was built around those basics. He spoke about attitude, passion and intensity as the attributes required, and he stressed that Dortmund must impose their style of play, especially in front of their own fans. He also suggested that the team’s shape should not be the story. Whether Dortmund line up with a back three or a back four, the real issue is whether they can bring the same energy they showed last weekend.
Signs of readiness
That reference point matters because Dortmund drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last weekend after Fabio Silva scored late. The result was important not only because of the opponent, but because it showed Dortmund can stay in the fight physically and mentally when the game demands a late push. Kovac’s point was not that the performance was perfect. It was that the level of commitment and intensity was there, and that is the standard he wants carried into Europe.
Gregor Kobel offered a similar view from the dressing room. He said the team were at a very high athletic level and felt ready to perform every few days, adding that Dortmund knew what they were capable of. That is a useful signal for a side entering a match that could shape the feel of its Champions League campaign. If the physical base is strong enough, then the tactical choices become easier to trust.
Real Betis arrive with momentum of their own, having won all three of their Champions League matches before the meeting. That makes the stakes clearer, not smaller. Dortmund do not just need a good home performance here; they need a result that keeps their group position healthy and reinforces the idea that they can handle elite opposition on a consistent basis.
In that sense, Kovac’s insistence on victory is not bravado. It is a realistic reading of where Dortmund are and what this stage of the competition demands. Six points from three games is a solid start, but it does not settle anything. Against Real Betis, Dortmund have a chance to prove that their early European form was not just functional, but the base of something more serious.
