Rode expects Stoger to be replaced at Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sebastian Rode added weight to reports Lucien Favre is set to take over from Peter Stoger at the club, saying the players “fully expect to have a new coach next season”.

Stoger has guided Dortmund from eighth place to third in the Bundesliga since taking over from Peter Bosz in December 2017, but his contract is due to expire in June and Nice coach Favre is favourite to replace him.

Ahead of next Saturday’s final day trip to Hoffenheim, where Dortmund need a point to secure Champions League football next season, Rode said the mood at the club suggests Stoger will not be signing a new deal.

“That’s what we assume,” he told Sky Sport News. “The way he expresses himself in the locker room, we fully expect to have a new coach next season.”

A change of management could lead to a summer shake-up at Signal Iduna Park but Rode, who has not played a competitive match since May 2017 due to a series of injuries, has not held discussions with the club’s hierarchy over his future, speaking to them only about a return to full fitness.

“We didn’t go as far as saying [that I should fulfil my contract],” he said. “First, it’s about me getting healthy again.

“The plan is to be fit again for the summer preparation and then it’s about presenting myself
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to the new coach. If I manage to get back to my old level then he will count on me.”

#SR18 #nevergiveup #comeback #trainhard pic.twitter.com/sPR92ZbFpc

— Sebastian Rode (@Sebastianrode20) May 3, 2018