Fresh from a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg, Dortmund will aim to bounce back in style when they lock horns with Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.
Monchengladbach plays host to Borussia Dortmund at Borussia Park for Friday night’s Bundesliga encounter in what will be the curtain raiser of the final matchday before the players set off for the World Cup break.
After enjoying a promising start to Daniel Farke’s managerial reign, Gladbach are slowly falling back into the trap of the inconsistencies of last season. Indeed, they come into this game on the back of yet another disappointing 2-1 defeat away to relegation-threatened Bochum in a clash where they failed to turn possession into meaningful chances.
They have now lost three of their last four matches, wheeling away into the obscurities of mid-table, currently sitting in ninth position with 19 points.
Having also been dumped out of the DFB-Pokal by Bundesliga 2 outfit Darmstadt in the second round of the competition, another defeat will leave the former Norwich City boss with an uphill task to achieve European spots post-World Cup. Monchengladbach will be delighted to return to home comforts on Friday as they host sixth-placed Dortmund in the “Borussia” derby.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, slumped to a 2-0 on the road defeat against Wolfsburg, showing their inconsistencies yet again. While they unsurprisingly created many goal-scoring opportunities in that game, they came unstuck in the attack. The result has put another dent in their supposed title-push.
Borussia Dortmund have long been regarded as the biggest danger to Bayern Munich in the German top flight, yet they routinely fall short. After finishing second last season, Die Borussen looked to be closing in on Bayern after the latter’s poor start to the season.
But just when you think Dortmund are putting together a run of positive results, they crumble like a house of cards. Eden Terzic’s side are now six points adrift of table-toppers Bayern Munich, who extended their lead to four points after minnows Union Berlin drew at Augsburg on Wednesday.
The two clubs last faced each other in February this year in the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund hammering six past a hapless Monchengladbach side. The visitors will hope for a similar performance and result in this time around; however, Monchengladbach are a tricky outfit to face these days under Daniel Farke.
Here at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the two teams ahead of this exciting “Borussia Derby” match-up in the Bundesliga this Friday.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Monchengladbach will be missing a number of players. Ko Itakura (knee), Florian Neuhaus (knee), Mamadou Doucouré, and Hannes Wolf (shoulder) are out, while Lainer is also doubtful. There is a chance that goalkeeper Sommer could make his return from an ankle injury for the visit of BVB, but that looks very unlikely with him Switzerland’s No. 1 at the World Cup and will not be risked here.
Already thinking of where to place it at home 🏆
Congrats on winning October’s Player of the Month award, @MarcusThuram! 👏 pic.twitter.com/g7AmHyQfOp
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) November 9, 2022
Daniel Farke will continue to opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation and could make a few changes to his starting XI for this game. Jan Jacob Olschowsky will feature in goal, deputising for Sommer once again. Marvin Friedrich will play along with Nico Elvedi at the centre of Gladbach’s backline, with Joe Scally and Ramy Bensebaini acting as the two full-backs protecting their respective flanks.
Manu Kone will be partnered by Christoph Kramer in the midfield double-pivot. The two provide good variety and balance in the middle of the park, while Lars Stindl will operate as the attacking midfielder, flanked by assist-machine Alassane Plea and chief creator Jonas Hofmann on either side. He might occasionally drop back during defensive phases to make it a midfield three.
The Gladbach attack will be led by Marcus Thuram, who has already raised some eyebrows with his blazing performances this season. He is, in fact, reportedly courted by Dortmund’s perennial rivals, Bayern Munich, meaning the Frenchman will be eager to impress here.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Olschowsky; Scally, Friedrich, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Kramer, Kone; Hofmann, Stindl, Plea; Thuram
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund coach Eden Terzic will be sweating on the fitness of skipper Marco Reus ahead of the trip to Gladbach after the German playmaker missed the midweek game due to the ankle issue that has been nagging him for a long-time now.
Joining Germany at the 2022 FIFA World Cup! ✅🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/xUG9tHI962
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) November 10, 2022
He will also have to make do without the services of seven long-term absentees from the last game yet again, including the likes of Mahmoud Dahoud (shoulder), Sebastian Haller (testicular cancer), and Thomas Meunier (broken cheekbone).
Gregor Kobel is a guaranteed starter in between the sticks, with the visitors lining up in Terzic’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. While the set-up mirrors to that of their opponents, the 40-year-old head coach will keep changes limited from the side that lost to an in-form Wolfsburg last time out.
Salih Özcan could be dropped from the starting lineup in favour of Emre Can, who will partner Jude Bellingham in the double-pivot, aiming to bring more steel and protection to the back four comprising of Niklas Sule, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Raphael Guerreiro.
The latter of the quartet is renowned for bombing forward and delivering quality in the opposition’s box. He’ll also be on set-piece duty and has a left foot like a traction engine when it comes to long-range drives.
Wide-forwards Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi have been able to hit the ground running in terms of goal-scoring numbers, although both have provided a lot of industry and forward thrust. Julian Brandt will likely play a crucial role in finding runners using his ability to thread through passes in behind the opposition backline.
Terzic has been disappointed with the capability of 34-year-old former Koln man Anthony Modeste to finish off attacks, therefore, he has entrusted Youssoufa Moukoko with the starting spot in recent games. The 17-year-old Cameroonian-born striker, who has scored six goals and provided four assists in 12 games this season, is selected in the German World Cup squad and will want to leave his mark here.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Sule, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Can; Adeyemi, Brandt, Malen; Moukoko
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund won only three of the last nine road matches.
- Borussia Monchengladbach has performed admirably at Borussia Park. They have a 5-0-2 record and a 16:8 goal difference at home turf.
- Dortmund have won just two of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Dortmund have lost on each of their last two trips to the Stadion Borussia Park, and Monchengladbach will be looking for their third successive home victory against Dortmund for the first time since 1971.
- Monchengladbach have scored 12 goals in their last 4 home matches, averaging 3 goals per game.
Player To Watch
Marcus Thuram
Thuram has been one of the most exciting forwards in the Bundesliga over the last few seasons, but the French forward saw a dip in form last season. Marcus, the son of legendary French defender Lilian Thuram, has started the season in blistering form for the Bundesliga side.
With 9 goals and 3 assists, the 25-year-old French attacker has already more than tripled his output from the 2021/22 season, Thuram is only behind Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku in the German top-flight goal-scoring charts.
His consistent performance has even seen him talked up to make it into the French national squad for the World Cup but eventually missed out on the plane. This season, only Kylian Mbappé is the other French player who has scored more goals in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Prediction
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Both teams have been dominant at home while turning out woeful displays away from home. Gladbach have been scoring loads of goals at home, and in Marcus Thuram, they have a poacher in red-hot goal-scoring form. Die Fohlen have the weapons to punish a leaky Dortmund backline that has conceded at least two goals in four of their last five encounters on the road and will hope to break the deadlock early to get the home fans onside.
The visitors have not been consistent enough throughout the campaign so far, and while they are more than capable of going on two or three-match winning streaks, they have the tendency to lose the odd away game under pressure. With all those factors in mind, the Hard Tackle fancy the hosts to just edge a close match in front of their raucous home support on Friday night.
