Niko Kovac urged Borussia Dortmund to show their quality and "play to our limits" to beat Juventus in their opening Champions League match.

Dortmund, who were beaten finalists in 2023-24, made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season before being knocked out by Barcelona.

Kovac has inspired an impressive turnaround since taking over in January, and Dortmund have made an unbeaten start to the Bundesliga.

Dortmund do not have the best away record against Italian sides in the Champions League, losing five of their last six such games (W1), including a 2-1 defeat to Bologna last term.

But Kovac is confident that his side can come away from Turin with a positive result on Tuesday.

"We're playing away. That's definitely an advantage for Juve," Kovac told a press conference.

"We played a pre-season match against Juventus in Dortmund, and you could see the quality this team have.

"We have to play to our limits; we have to give 100%. We want to show that we have the quality to get a result here."

Despite their poor record in Italy, Dortmund have been known for their strong starts in the Champions League. They have won their opening game in three of their last four campaigns in the competition, only failing to do so against Paris Saint-Germain in 2023-24 (2-0 defeat).

And they made sure they could not be counted out last season – they netted 10 goals from the 75th minute onwards in Europe's premier competition in 2024-25, the most of any team (excluding extra time).

With no new major injury concerns, Dortmund are looking to carry their league form into Europe, something Kovac believes they are well-equipped to do.

"We have a very good team. When everyone is available, we are very balanced, both in terms of breadth and depth," he added.

"For me, it's about having competition. The profiles are different. There has to be the right balance between physicality, creativity and running performance. If we can get a good mix of those, we're in a good position."

And Marcel Sabitzer insisted Dortmund had the belief in their abilities, setting their sights high from the very start.

"Fundamentally, you always go into a tournament to win it," said Sabitzer. "Otherwise, there's no point in competing."

"[It will be] a special occasion, the biggest possible stage for a player at club level. I'm very happy that I've been able to participate so often and that I continue to do so."