Kovac wants all games at same time in penultimate Bundesliga round

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac would prefer all Bundesliga matches on the last two matchdays to kick off at the same time like in the past, although his team has a small advantage over top-four rivals in this weekend’s penultimate round.

Until 2020 the last two matchdays saw all nine games start at the same time but since then it only happens on the final day. The second last round now has matches Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which generates more TV income.

Dortmund in fifth play on Sunday at Bayer Leverkusen, while fourth placed Freiburg as well as RB Leipzig and Mainz, who are close behind Dortmund, are all in action on Saturday.

“When you play on Sunday who know what has happened before,” Kovac said.

But he nonetheless spoke out in favour of a return to the old format, saying: “I think the last two matchdays should be played at the same time. You are entering a photo finish.”

However, Kovac also acknowledged that the the change for the penultimate matchday “generates different TV income” as the broadcasters can present a split up round in a different way.