Bundesliga: Battle of the Borussias

Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Two teams in desperate need of points meet on Saturday at the Signal Iduna Park where Bundesliga: Dortmund vs Monchengladbach is the big match.

Over 80,000 fans routinely turn up in Dortmund to back Die Schwarzgelben and the Yellow Wall will be in full voice for the visit of Die Fohlen. But both of these proud clubs have struggled at times this term and are well off the pace. Borussia Dortmund are already ten points adrift of the top of the table in fifth place, while Monchengladbach are eight points further back in ninth.  

The stuttering start is particularly worrying for BVB who should have won the Bundesliga last season, but bottled on the final day, and they are winless in their last three Bundesliga games. Meanwhile, Monchengladbach have been out of the limelight for a while, but at least they are on an improving trend.

Dortmund have lost their last two league games while Monchengladbach are unbeaten in four and they slapped Wolfsburg, 4-0, last time out. Both teams have been free-scoring and we’re expecting a cracker between the battling Borussias when their players cross the white line on Saturday.   

Talking Points

Dortmund can bring their cup form to the Bundesliga

Edin Terzic’s side desperately need a win to ensure they don’t drift further off the pace. A draw with Frankfurt and back-to-back defeats against FC Bayern and Stuttgart has taken the wind out of BVB’s sails and they need to get on track without delay. The disappointing run in the league has been punctuated by success in cup competitions and Terzic will remind his team that the two league losses were against the second and third placed teams in the table. And, after going ahead away to Stuttgart, Die Schwarzgelben only fell to a late penalty.

Attacking midfielder Julian Brandt has been in fine form and he scored the second in BVB’s recent Champions League win over Newcastle United, a result which took them to the top of Group F, while Marco Reus was the man on target in a 1-0 DFB Pokal win over TSG Hoffenheim. Reus will be keen to start against the team he began his top-flight career with; he scored 36 goals in 97 games for Monchengladbach. And there may also be a start for striker Niclas Fullkrug, who has scored three goals in the Bundesliga this term, each goal giving his team a 1-0 lead.   

A heavy defeat in Der Klassiker was a serious blow to BVB’s confidence and now they need to pick themselves up and stay in the Bundesliga race. 

Cvancara is starring for Die Fohlen

Monchengladbach had a poor start under new head coach Gerardo Seoane, but they have picked up in recent weeks, climbing to ninth after drawing with an impressive Freiburg team, beating Heidenheim and dismantling Wolfsburg 4-0, a game in which forward Tomas Cvancara tormented the Wolves’ defence from start to finish.     

Striker Allasane Plea is top scoring with five goals while Cvancara has four; and the 23-year-old Czech striker has made an impressive start to life in the Rhine region following his switch from Sparta Prague in the summer. At 6ft 3in Cvancara is a powerful figure and he has bags of pace and an eye for a goal. He’s been the standout player in Die Fohlen’s recent run of 11 points from a possible 18 and Cvancara is the visitors’ man to watch on Saturday.     

History

BVB have had the better of the head-to-head Dortmund vs Monchengladbach results, with 35 wins to 17 over the past 30 years; and they are unbeaten at home against Die Fohlen in ten encounters. Dortmund won this fixture last term, 5-2. In fact, BVB have won their last nine home games against Monchengladbach in the league, scoring 32 and conceding just five goals, so the fans and players of Dortmund will arrive on Saturday with plenty of confidence. 

The pre-match Dortmund vs Monchengladbach betting odds are strongly backing a home win so let’s take a look at where the value might be. 

Betting Tip

BVB are at SBOTOP odds of at 1.43 to win, while Monchengladbach are priced at 4.84 and the draw at 4.45.

The hosts will go for this game with some gusto and will aim to outscore a team which is full of goals. Gladbach’s away games this season have produced 28 goals, they have scored and conceded 14 on the road, and we’re expecting, and hoping for, a whole lot of goalmouth action on Saturday.  

 

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