Borussia Dortmund will aim to climb back into the top four in the Bundesliga when they make the short trip to Borussia-Park to face Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
Borussia Monchengladbach currently occupy 11th place in the Bundesliga with 31 points after 28 rounds, while Borussia Dortmund are locked out of the UEFA Champions League qualification spots due to their inferior goal difference the with six games left to play.
After securing an impressive 2-0 victory against Bayern Munich in their most recent away fixture, Dortmund went down 1-0 to VfB Stuttgart last weekend. The Black and Yellows then suffered a 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.
Eden Terzic’s side looked disjointed and made a number of sloppy errors in the first half, falling two goals behind. But they turned things around after the break to ensure that the tie remains alive going into the second leg.
They now face a Borussia Monchengladbach side who flirted around to the drop zone early on. But they have managed to get themselves back into mid-table positions, nine points clear of the drop.
The Foals have lost one and drawn three of their previous five games. But they snapped a four-match losing run last weekend with a 3-1 triumph against VfL Wolfsburg. Here at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the two teams ahead of this intriguing match-up in the Bundesliga this Saturday.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Monchengladbach boss Gerardo Seoane could be without as many as seven players for this match. Tony Jantschke has problems with his adductor, while Manu Kone is struggling with a thigh problem.
Florian Neuhaus is nearing a return from an Achilles problem, but Simon Walde has now missed ten matches with a ligament tear and is likely done for the season. Christoph Kramer has been feeling unwell. Seoane will continue to opt for the 3-4-3 formation and could make a few changes to his starting XI for this game.
Jonas Omlin will feature in goal. Marvin Friedrich will play along with Nico Elvedi and Maximilian Wober at the centre of Gladbach’s backline, with Luca Netz and Stefan Lainer acting as the two wing-backs marauding up-and-down on respective flanks.
Ko Itakura will be partnered by Julian Weigl in the midfield double-pivot. Left-winger Franck Honorat has been a key contributor for the Foals, with three goals and nine assists. Nathan Ngoumou will look to put his pace to good use on the opposite wing.
Striker Alassane Plea has netted seven goals in 21 league appearances this season but is doubtful for this match due to a calf injury. Jordan Siebatcheu, who has five goals and three assists this season, will step in to deputise for Plea.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Omlin; Elvedi, Friedrich, Wober; Lainer, Weigl, Itakura, Netz; N’Goumou, Siebatcheu, Honorat
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund will also be without several key players, the most notable of which is Donyell Malen (hip), who has 11 league goals and 14 overall this season. Ramy Bensebaini is only expected to return from a knee injury at the end of May, while Abdoulaye Kamara (knock) and Samuel Bamba (muscle) are out for the season.
Gregor Kobel is a guaranteed starter in between the sticks, with the visitors lining up in Terzic’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Marcel Sabitzer could be dropped from the starting lineup in favour of Salih Ozcan, who will partner Emre Can in the double-pivot, aiming to bring more steel and protection to the back four comprising Julian Ryerson, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Ian Maatsen.
The latter of the quartet is renowned for bombing forward and delivering quality in the opposition’s box. Wide-forwards Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi will provide 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.
It was a game to forget for German international Niklas Fullkrug on Wednesday night, as he was not able to assert himself against the Atletico defence. He has not scored for BVB since mid-February and could be dropped in favour of Sebastien Haller here.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Ozcan, Can; Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi; Haller
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have lost on their last three trips to take on Borussia Monchengladbach.
- BVB boast only three clean sheets in their last ten matches, while Gladbach have no clean sheet in the last eight matches.
- Borussia Dortmund have scored 55 goals in 28 matches to rank fifth in the Bundesliga.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have conceded 54 goals over 28 matches and rank 16th in the league.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have seen over 2.5 goals in eight of their last ten matches against Borussia Dortmund in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Sebastien Haller
Haller’s finish for his goal against Atletico Madrid was simply sublime, and it showed that he is still more than capable of being Borussia Dortmund’s first-choice striker. He looked sharper and was more heavily involved in BVB’s attacking play than Niclas Fullkrug, and his goal keeps Dortmund alive in the tie heading into the second leg. After such a brilliant display, expect the 2023 AFCON winner to shine on a return to the starting lineup here.
Prediction
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Both teams are in dire need of points to improve their current standing. Borussia Dortmund need them for their top-four ambitions, while Borussia Monchengladbach are seeking security from a late relegation scrap, currently sitting eight points above the relegation playoff position.
It means both sides have a lot to play for here. As the duo have not been keeping a lot of clean sheets lately, that is also a guarantee for goals in the game. With Borussia Dortmund having one eye on their Champions League return leg against Atletico Madrid next midweek, expect Gladbach to pounce here and earn all three points on home soil.
