Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac is set to lead his side in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup this Saturday for the first time since taking charge of the club.
However, the former Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt coach isn't new to it. He's twice been a part of this already, both coming during his time as the Bavarian honcho.
As he now gears up to face his former side, let's delve into his record so far:
2018: Crushed his former side Frankfurt; won 5-0
Kovac's foray into the German Supercup was one to remember and there's a funny backstory to it too. He guided Eintracht Frankfurt to a DFB-Pokal victory in 2018, prevailing 3-1 in the finals over Bayern Munich, who had already appointed him as their next permanent manager by then.
A few months later, now having officially taken charge of his new club, Kovac's tenure began against his last team and won again. Prolific sharpshooter Robert Lewandowski struck a hat-trick, while Kingsley Coman and Thiago Alcantara were also on target to secure Bayern a resounding 5-0 victory as Kovac won a trophy in his first game as the new Bayern coach.
2019: Dortmund deny Kovac a second
Having guided Bayern to another Bundesliga title in the 2018-19 season, Kovac led his side out in the Supercup here once again. The opponents? Borussia Dortmund. Although it was being played at BVB's home ground Signal Iduna Park, Bayern were favorites to prevail. But the hosts sprung a real surprise.
Following a tense first half which left the match deadlocked at 0-0, Paco Alcacer put Dortmund in front after just three minutes into the restart. In the 69th minute, Jadon Sancho doubled their advantage and it eventually proved enough to see of their mighty visitors, who lost 2-0. Kovac's aim of winning a second Supercup in a row was left in tatters.
Third time's the charm?
On Saturday, Kovac will get to experience the German Supercup for only the third time in his career. Can he strike gold this time? There are high expectations from his team, which has added some new and exciting young talents to their roster during the summer.
But against Bayern Munich, it's still a tall order. The German champions could unleash their fearsome attacking triumvirate of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, all of whom enjoyed a splendid campaign last time and will be relishing the prospect of going up against a new-look BVB side.
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