Sahin out - former Bayern boss to succed him

The poor position in the domestic league and only 13th spot after the incomplete seventh round of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund's struggles were overshadowed by the painful performance in yesterday's 2-1 defeat against Bologna. The loss was so hard to bear that it became intolerable, and German media reported this morning that the club had sacked coach Nuri Sahin.

The Turk had been under pressure for a while, which comes as no surprise given that, out of 18 matches, he won only seven, lost as many, and drew four. However, new executive director Lars Ricken and sports director Sebastian Kehl had not made any drastic decisions until now.

According to reports from Sport Bild and Sky Germany, after the Bologna defeat, Borussia realized there was no longer any time to waste. Despite conciliatory statements after the match in Italy, the team and coaching staff were informed that things could not continue this way. Borussia lost all three Bundesliga matches in 2025, and yesterday's loss at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara confirmed the earlier speculations, sealing Sahin's fate with the sack.

Done deal - there is a new Villan in town

The 36-year-old is now a former coach, but the question remains whether he was the only problem. Since Jurgen Klopp's departure in 2015, Borussia Dortmund have changed nine coaches, yet the team still doesn't resemble the one that dominated under the German. In fact, even though in 2023 they were very close to winning the Bundesliga and reached the 2024 Champions League final with Edin Terzic as head coach and Nuri Sahin as his assistant, the impression is that the team is somehow drifting further and further away from the top.

Dortmund won't waste any time, and according to Bild, the first candidate for the vacant position is former Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich head coach, Niko Kovac. The Croat is expected to be offered a contract until the end of the season, and if he achieves good results, there is a possibility of extending the deal.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 7

Tuesday

Monaco - Aston Villa 1-0 (1-0)

/Singo 8/

Atalanta - Sturm Graz 5-0 (1-0)

/Retegui 12, Pasalic 58, De Ketelaere 63, Lookman 90, Brescianini 90+5/

Atletico Madrid - Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 (0-1)

/Alvarez 52, 90 - Hincapie 45+1/

Benfica - Barcelona 4-5 (3-1)

/Pavlidis 2, 22, 30 pen, Araujo 68 og - Lewandowski 13 pen, 78 pen, Raphinha 64, 90+6, Garcia 86/

Bologna - Borussia Dortmund 2-1 (0-1)

/Dallinga 71, Junior 72 - Guirassy 15 pen/

Club Brugge - Juventus 0-0

Crvena zvezda - PSV 2-3 (0-3)

/Ndiaye 71, Djiga 78 - De Jong 17, Til 23, Flamingo 43/

Liverpool - Lille 2-1 (1-0)

/Salah 34, Elliot 67 - David 62/

Slovan Bratislava - Stuttgart 1-3 (0-2)

/Metsoko 85 - Leweling 11,34, Rieder 87/

Wednesday

20:45: (2.85) Leipzig (3.70) Sporting (2.45)

20:45: (2.70) Shakhtar (3.10) Brest (2.75)

23:00: (7.75) Sparta Praha (4.50) Inter (1.42)

23:00: (1.12) Arsenal (11.0) Dinamo Zagreb (22.0)

23:00: (1.38) Celtic (5.40) Young Boys (8.50)

23:00: (6.75) Feyenoord (5.00) Bayern (1.43)

23:00: (1.48) Milan (4.65) Girona (7.25)

23:00: (2.50) PSG (3.80) Man City (2.75)

23:00 (1.08) Real Madrid (14.0) RB Salzburg (30.0)

***odds are subject to change***