Overview

• Dortmund enter the match on a 12-game league unbeaten run with 10 wins and two draws, sitting second in the Bundesliga two points off Bayern Munich.
• Kovač credited a tactical shift to a three-man defence for three consecutive league clean sheets despite recent injury absences.
• The coach described Mainz under Bo Henriksen as an intense, vocal side that presses early and can create chances.
• Niklas Süle and Fabio Silva have been partially reintegrated in training and will be assessed on Friday for potential inclusion in the squad.
• Dortmund have won only one of their last five Bundesliga meetings with Mainz, though Kovač holds a 2.1 points-per-game average across 18 league matches.