Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has stressed that his side must deliver a complete performance if they are to secure a positive result against Bayern Munich in Saturday's Der Klassiker.
Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated Bundesliga showdown, Kovac acknowledged Bayern's quality but believes Dortmund have every reason to approach the encounter with confidence, particularly given the teams' positions in the table.
"It's Der Klassiker. After a long time, we have the opportunity to travel to Munich with the same number of points. That certainly makes things much more exciting than in previous years," Kovac said.
The Dortmund boss described Bayern as the benchmark in German football and recognised the challenge awaiting his team at the Allianz Arena.
"FC Bayern are undoubtedly the benchmark, not only in Germany but also in Europe. We know this will be a very difficult task."
However, Kovac insisted that his players must maintain their concentration throughout the match, warning that even a brief lapse could prove costly against an opponent of Bayern's calibre.
"We have to perform at the highest level for 90 minutes. If you're not fully focused for 10, 15 or 20 minutes in Munich, things can go wrong very quickly."
Despite the difficulty of the task, the Croatian coach made it clear that Dortmund are travelling to Munich with the intention of challenging Bayern rather than simply limiting the damage.
"We have ambitions, just as we do everywhere else, to take something away from this game. We know the challenge is enormous, but we are Borussia Dortmund and we have our own standards."
Kovac also pointed to the competitive nature of previous meetings between the two sides, suggesting that Dortmund have shown they can make life difficult for Bayern.
"We know how strong our opponents are, but I also believe Bayern know that our recent matches against them have always been very close. We are close to them, and perhaps this time we have the opportunity to turn things in our favour. But it certainly won't be easy."
The Dortmund manager also acknowledged the threat posed by Bayern striker Harry Kane, highlighting the importance of a collective defensive effort rather than relying on one player to contain the England international.
"He's a world-class player. We cannot stop him individually. We have to do it together as a team. You need eleven players performing at the highest level if you want to get something in Munich."
With the Bundesliga rivalry once again taking centre stage, Kovac knows that Dortmund will need discipline, intensity and consistency to come away with a result against their biggest domestic rivals.