Borussia Dortmund have appointed former Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac as their new head coach.

The Bundesliga club sacked Nuri Sahin last week after their Champions League loss at Bologna, which was their fourth successive defeat in all competitions.

Kovac, 53, has signed an 18-month deal and will take charge following this weekend’s Bundesliga match against Heidenheim.

“We have had intensive discussions with Niko Kovac over the past few days and have deliberately taken the time to get to know each other and our expectations better,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said.

“We are in a challenging sporting situation and are sure that in Niko we have found the coach who is able to master it.”

Kovac said: “All those responsible at BVB (Dortmund) gave us a very good feeling in the talks, so I am convinced that we can achieve a lot together in the future.”

Kovac’s appointment comes after Dortmund sealed a play-off spot in the Champions League.

The Germans finished 10th in the initial league phase thanks to a 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Dortmund will face either Belgian club Club Brugge or Portuguese champions Sporting in the play-offs.

Kovac’s new side are 11th in the German top flight with seven wins from their 19 league games this season, 22 points behind leaders Bayern Munich.