By Jana Glose, dpa
Guirassy scored his four Bundesliga goals in the first three matches until mid-September and has since only netted on October 1 in the Champions League.
“It may well be that Serhou will get a little creative break. I still have a bit of time to think about tomorrow’s game and the next few games,” Kovac told reporters on Monday.
But Kovac also said that he faces a difficult decision because Guirassy is important up front even when he doesn’t find the net.
“Of course, I can see that he’s not scoring goals at the moment. But I can still see how hard he works and that he gives his all. It happens sometimes in a striker’s career that you don’t convert chances that you would normally put away,” Kovac said.
“He’s our strike leader – he’s the one who initiates everything up front. That’s why I’m backing him.”
Guirassy had 34 Bundesliga and Champions League goals last season after arriving from VfB Stuttgart, where he recorded 28 Bundesliga goals in 2023-24.
Kovac, however, said he doesn’t plan “any major changes” in the team, although all available players are healthy. He said he was happy with the depth, as substitutes can generate new momentum, like on Saturday when Maximilian Beier came on to score a stoppage-time winner against Cologne.
“The quality is very high, and many players deserve to play from the start. But I can only field eleven players. What matters to me is the reaction of the players who come on as substitutes, and that is excellent at the moment – they change the game,” he said.
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Dortmund have only lost one match all season across all competitions, but won’t underestimate his former club Frankfurt, who have had ups and downs and let in many goals in recent weeks.
“They have scored a lot of goals, but they have also conceded a few. They have a lot of potential; they are young and talented. We have to play our game from the first to the 90th or even 120th minute,” Kovac said.
Kovac coached Frankfurt from 2016-18, winning the German Cup with them in his final game against Bayern Munich, who he then coached until being axed there in November 2019.
“I am a lifetime member. That’s why I’m looking forward to coming to Frankfurt. It’s my footballing home. But of course I’m the coach of Borussia Dortmund and I want to win the match against my old club,” Kovac said.
