The battle of the two Borussias as despairing Monchengladbach host high-flying Dortmund with Marco Rose meeting his former club.
𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 💪🐎#DieFohlen pic.twitter.com/qKSNx5RkIM
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) September 20, 2021
It has not been a good start for new coach Adi Hutter with the Foals sitting 16th, having won only once so far. Apart from their courageous draw against Bayern Munich on opening night and a 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld, there has been little to cheer about.
🎙️ #Hütter: "We're not satisfied with our points return. We're lacking some zip and energy on the ball. It's no good having lots of possession if you're not aggressive enough. We need to improve here."#DieFohlen #BMGBVB pic.twitter.com/iyq4V9r7P5
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) September 23, 2021
They have already conceded nine goals with only Lars Stindl having scored more than once. No doubt Rose’s departure has been a significant blow while a quiet transfer window has worsened matters. They will need to get back to winning ways soon if they wish to finish in the top-four or six.
🎙 Marco Rose:
“I expect a team from Gladbach that has quality and can beat anyone in the league on a good day. I know the guys, they will do everything in their power to win this special game in their own stadium." pic.twitter.com/TMl9KgnWlr
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 23, 2021
In stark contrast, Dortmund have been nicely motoring along with four wins to sit in 3rd place. A big part of that has been the superb form of Erling Braut Haaland, who has seven goals and three assists already.
Erling + Football = 💛 pic.twitter.com/fssYEhTqCK
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 23, 2021
Rose has a mostly settled squad to choose from with the meteoric rise of Jude Bellingham and the form of Marco Reus being bonuses. However, their defence has been a bit shoddy, having let in 11 goals which suggest that it is one area that will need betterment sooner rather than later.
TEAM NEWS
Hutter confirmed that Ramy Bensebaini is likely to miss out while Marcus Thuram’s return is still far away. However, Jonas Hoffman is “100% ready to play” which should see him slot right back in the lineup.
🎙️ #Hütter: "@bensebainiRams got a knock yesterday and he may miss out again on Saturday. Jonas Hofmann, on the other hand, is looking good. He had no issues during training and is 100% ready to play."#DieFohlen #BMGBVB pic.twitter.com/aX07K016VS
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) September 23, 2021
PROBABLE LINE-UP: Sommer; Elvedi, Ginter, Beyer; Netz, Zakaria, Kramer, Hoffman; Stindl, Herrmann; Plea
Nico Schulz is back for Dortmund, while Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Dan-Axel Zagadou will need more time. Thorgan Hazard did train but Rose stated that he is not ready for a full match yet.
🎙 Marco Rose:
“With Toto he is still not ready for 90 minutes. However, he was fully involved in training yesterday and is therefore an option. He is important for our game and he will quickly generate more playing time." pic.twitter.com/vjvyfnjvDu
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 23, 2021
PROBABLE LINE-UP: Kobel; Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Dahoud, Witsel; Reus; Haaland, Malen
GAMECHANGERS
It is hard to look past the form of Haaland as the major threat for Monchengladbach, the 21-year-old goal scoring machine has 67 goals in 68 games for Dortmund. He is currently the highest scorer till now with Robert Lewandowski. The thing with Haaland is he is really adept at a lot of things, all of which either help him score or set up teammates.
Speechless. 😱 @ErlingHaaland #BVBFCU pic.twitter.com/rdswc7SICG
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) September 19, 2021
His strength in holding the ball up, burst of pace over short distances and unerring finish will be a huge problem for the home side if they do not plan well. Haaland is switched on during the entirety of the match, and if he is able to get by the three-man defence, there will be no stopping. Furthermore, his intelligent running ensures he sees a lot of the ball in dangerous areas which help him earn fouls or spaces in behind to run in.
Erling Haaland's monstrous stats: 😍
➟ 16 goals in 11 games this season
➟ 25 goals in his last 19 games
➟ 12 goals in 15 games with Norway
➟ 68 goals in 67 games with Dortmund
➟ 21 goals in 17 UCL games
➟ 130 goals in 179 games in his career pic.twitter.com/gTPvTunLRK— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) September 20, 2021
For Monchengladbach, as highlighted it has not been a great season with several players under-performing. Nevertheless, their influential captain Stindl remains a potent force in front of goal. He has two goals from just four shots on-target and a passing accuracy of 81%. Hutter would like Stindl to play the defence-splitting balls as well as going forward when the opportunities present themselves.
🏟Borussia-Park!! 3️⃣Punkte!! Heimsieg!! Und wieder richtig Stimmung in der Bude!! 💥💪🏼⚽️ #fohlenelf #immerweiter pic.twitter.com/Y94TSNhAsQ
— Lars Stindl (@stindl28) September 12, 2021
Dortmund’s defence is not the best and Hummels is not the fastest. If Plea or Herrmann can isolate him, it will provide a good chance for Stindl to attack. Furthermore, he has prowess over set-pieces as well which always comes in handy against a high scoring team.
PREDICTIONS
Even with some key squad players out for the away side, Dortmund look the favourites to take all three points,though Monchengladbach are likely to score based on recent results. Taking something from the game might not come to fruition. FootTheBall predicts a 2-0 win for the Black & Yellow.