Nuri Şahin's time as Borussia Dortmund manager ... Reports from German media on Wednesday said Niko Kovač is a strong candidate to take over Dortmund on an interim basis. Kovač was most ...

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač has admitted that his side still has “a long way to go” despite their recent improvement ahead of Tuesday's home Champions League clash with Lille.

Kovač’s predecessor, Nuri Şahin, had to deal with a number of injuries throughout this term, with Niklas Süle, Adeyemi, Yan Couto and Waldemar Anton among those to miss several games.

Niko Kovač started work as coach on Sunday, taking over from unbeaten interim coach Mike Tullberg, who stepped up from the club’s under-19s for three games after Nuri Sahin was fired.

Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovač was full of praise for Chelsea ... his first Bundesliga win since taking over from Nuri Şahin on 2 February. "He has very good acceleration and technique.