Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has announced a special bonus for his players as his side takes on Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The BVB succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen at home last weekend, leaving Bayern Munich on the brink of another league title.
Dortmund were uncharacteristically toothless in the match, struggling to break down their hosts who ended their four-game winning run as well as their long scoring run in the league.
The defeat, though only their third of the top-flight campaign, left Dortmund with 64 points from 29 games as their Champions League hopes were left on ice.
Ahead of another daunting fixture, Kovac has offered his side an incentive that could perhaps motivate Dortmund to perform their best and pick up a win. He said:
"“I’ve reached an agreement with the lads. They can earn a second day off by winning matches—that incentive is enough to get the players on board.”"revealed Kovac
In his first full season in charge, Kovac has turned Dortmund into a mean outfit that's tough to beat, emphasized by their meager three losses in the Bundesliga this season - lower than every team in the division besides only leaders Bayern (1 defeat).
However, that doesn't imply they are a side without flaws. Far too often, there have been instances where Dortmund struggled to control the game or relied on late goals to get them through, which isn't exactly the trait of a champion.
On six occasions in the league this season, Dortmund have dropped points from a winning position. That should be a cause for concern for Kovac, who has plenty of issues to address next season as he aims to end their long and treacherous wait for another Bundesliga title.
But for now, the Croatian manager remains committed ending the season strongly and perhaps, break a few records along the way too.
"“We still want to win games, and we have to win them. It wouldn’t be right to say the season is over and we’re writing it off. We still have plenty of points to collect and can break one or two BVB records. That’s our goal.”"added Kovac
Dortmund are on course to become the team with the highest points tally in the runners-up position. Should they win all five of their remaining Bundesliga matches, they could end up with 79 points, a record tally for a second-placed team.
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