As Torfun Korkut's Hannover 96 struggle near the foot of the Bundesliga table, they prepare to welcome Borussia Dortmund, on Saturday afternoon, to the HDI-Arena.
"It's certainly not going to be 'that's it' after the game"
- Martin Kind
Despite Hannover's poor form of late and rumours circulating surrounding potential replacements for Korkut, he has been given a vote of confidence by both the club's president Martin Kind, and director of sport Dirk Dufner. "It's certainly not going to be 'that's it' after this game,'' Kind said on Thursday. That view was shared by Dufner, who said that Korkut still has a future at the club, no matter what happens on Saturday. "This is not a decisive game for the coach or for the team,'' he said. "Of course we know how big the pressure is and how important the game is.''
Decisive it may not be in terms of Korkut's job security, but with Hannover in thirteenth place - and just four points clear of the relegation places - it could be a decisive game for their survival hopes. Hannover have not won a game in 2015, but Dortmund have been far from their best this season, and should the home side collect all three points on Saturday, in the grand scheme of things it may not be that much of surprise.
"I've now drawn a line under this game and already started to forget Juventus"
- Jurgen Klopp
For Jurgen Klopp and his Dortmund side, a ccomprehensive 3-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League midweek almost brings Dortmund's strange season to a close - with the exception of the DFB-Pokal. "When you ideally don't want to concede a single goal at all, and then your opponents score after only three minutes, of course it opens you up,'' said Klopp reflecting on Wednesday's painful defeat. "I've seen it a hundred times before, but fortunately not so often with my own team. But this is football and you run yourself to death if it happens. I've now drawn a line under this game and already started to forget Juventus.''
It has been an unusual season for Dortmund. For so long they languished in the lower-regions of the Bundesliga table - with some even talking of a relegation battle before a mini-resurgence lifted them from their struggles. Domestically they are now struggling again, an inability to find the net resulting in two 0-0 draws in their last two Bundesliga games. With a 12-point gap it seems unlikely that Dortmund can finish amongst the Champions League places this season, but they must take each game as it comes. Three points on Saturday against Hannover might not ease the fans' pain, but it certainly won't hurt their morale.
