Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Niko Kovac insisted his Borussia Dortmund team were “enjoying this position” after entering the international break at the top of the early Bundesliga standings.
Dortmund are the only team to win all four of their league matches so far this season, following their 1-0 victory over Stuttgart prior to the extended pause in league action.
It is the first time BVB have achieved that feat in 11 years, while a win against Werder Bremen this Friday would equal a club record, previously set in 2013-14 and 2015-16.
Their clash with Bremen marks the start of a hectic fixture list for Kovac’s side, with Dortmund playing seven games across all competitions in October.
A mouth-watering tie with defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich takes place on October 31, with games against Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt also to come.
Dortmund also face Bodo/Glimt and Sabah in the Champions League, while they also take on Bremen in the second round of the DFB-Pokal before travelling to Bayern.
BVB have not won the Bundesliga since 2011-12, when now-Germany boss Jurgen Klopp was at the helm, though Kovac did not want to get carried away at this early stage.
“The lads have worked hard for this. It’s just a snapshot. We’ve played a little more than 10% of the Bundesliga games,” said Kovac.
“We’re enjoying this position right now, but we also know we have a responsibility to keep working hard to hold onto it for as long as possible.
“Now the goal is to get back into the rhythm. I hope we can pull it off, put in a good performance against Bremen, and pick up the points we need to get back into the flow.”
Mood bc we play football this Friday. https://t.co/tKYCQGC65B
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) October 7, 2026
Bremen have also made a strong start to their Bundesliga campaign, sitting eighth after four games following their 3-2 triumph against Augsburg in their last league outing.
The clash with Dortmund will also see Niclas Fullkrug return to Signal Iduna Park, with the 33-year-old having turned out for BVB during the 2023-24 campaign.
During his time with Dortmund, he recorded 20 goal involvements (12 goals, eight assists) in 29 Bundesliga appearances, before difficult spells at West Ham and AC Milan.
He joined Bremen on loan from Milan and has now scored four goals in five matches across all competitions, equalling his total from the previous two seasons combined.
Fullkrug could now score in four consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in his career, but Kovac said the in-form striker was not Dortmund’s main priority.
“He feels at home there and will naturally be motivated to play against his former team-mates,” Kovac added. “But it’s not just about him.
“There are 10 other players on the field we have to deal with. We have to impose our style of play, and it doesn’t matter who’s playing on the other side.”
Borussia Dortmund – Maximilian Beier
Beier has recorded three goal involvements in the Bundesliga this season (one goal, two assists), with only Serhou Guirassy managing more for the club (four).
In 2026, only Deniz Undav (17) has recorded more direct goal involvements in the Bundesliga among German players than Beier (12 – six goals, six assists).
Dedicate your heart. https://t.co/sRcADoJb4q
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 21, 2026
Grull was directly involved in three goals in his 67th Bundesliga appearance last time out (one goal, two assists) and is the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with six goal involvements (two goals, four assists).
Since Opta began recording this data in 2004-05, only Miroslav Klose in 2005-06 (six) and Ivan Klasnic in 2005-06 (seven) have recorded at least as many goal involvements for Bremen in the first four matchdays of a Bundesliga season.
MATCH PREDICTION: BORUSSIA DORTMUND WIN
Dortmund are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Bremen in all competitions (W5 D2) – the joint-longest such run by either side in this fixture. Bremen have won only one of their last 15 Bundesliga meetings with BVB (D5 L9), a 3-2 away victory in August 2022.
BVB have also won their last six matches in all competitions – this equals their record under Kovac, having previously achieved this run in April and May 2025. The last time they enjoyed a longer winning streak in all competitions was between January and March 2023 under Edin Terzic (10).
Kovac’s side have also been solid at the back. As in the previous season, Dortmund have kept three clean sheets in their first four league matches – since the start of last season, they have recorded 18 clean sheets, more than any other Bundesliga team in that period.
Bremen have, however, made their best start to a Bundesliga season since 2020-21 with seven points from their first four matches. They have also picked up points in three consecutive top-flight matches for the first time under Daniel Thioune (W2 D1).
Friday’s visitors have already gained four points from losing positions in the Bundesliga this season, a league-high alongside Augsburg. Their recent 3-2 win against Augsburg was the first time in two years that Werder Bremen won a Bundesliga match after trailing by two goals.
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