Borussia Monchengladbach vs Chelsea
Frank Lampard takes Chelsea to Borussia Park this weekend for a testing warm-up clash with Marco Rose’s Borussia Monchengladbach.
This Club Friendly is a chance to see two teams which will feature in European competition this season, as well as competing for a top-four place in their domestic leagues. The hosts will want to go one step further than a fifth-place finish last term, and new coach Marco Rose will use this game as a test of their credentials against Champions League opposition.
And it’s Lampard’s first season as a Premier League manager, so all English eyes will be on Old Trafford in the next two weeks. An opening league fixture with Manchester United is box office stuff.
The latest Monchengladbach vs Chelsea betting odds here at SBOBET reckons this will be a close fought game, with a good case to be made for either team.
Talking Points
Life after Thorgan
Die Fohlen’s best creative player of last season is no more after Thorgan Hazard made the switch to Bundesliga title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund.
Monchengladbach knew the move was inevitable as the Belgian international had told the club he wanted to leave before the end of last season. Indeed Die Fohlen were already resigned to losing Eden’s younger brother when they lost to BVB at the end of last season, and now it’s time to move on.
Head coach Marco Rose has already moved in the transfer market to try to plug the gap; and Die Fohlen could have a new hero in the 6 foot 2 frame of striker Marcus Thuram, who has signed from Guingamp. The 21-year-old has a fine pedigree as son of Lilian Thuram, the most capped France international of all time, with 142 appearances for Les Bleus.
If he is half as good as his Dad, then Marcus will become a legend at Borussia Park.
In the meantime, Rose has injuries to two key players to contend with. Skipper Lars Stindl and striker Breel Embolo are working hard to regain fitness, and that could mean early season action for Thuram, alongside fellow French forward Alassane Plea.
Borussia has another week to prepare before the season starts and they have an opening DFB Pokal tie against Sandhausen to look forward to on 9th August.
Home is where the heart is
Frank Lampard has arrived at the club he loves to take on one of the biggest jobs in European football. The fans adore him as the club’s top scorer of all time and will give him unquestioning support. And that will help as the rookie boss arrives in the knowledge Chelsea has a two-year transfer ban to see through, while FIFA investigates the club’s signing of overseas under 18 players.
But Lampard believes that will give him a chance to play some younger players who, until now, have had to wait their turn. Callum Hudson-Odoi has signed a new contract and that will delight fans who became increasingly frustrated by Maurizio Sarri’s reluctance to play the young winger last season.
Christian Pulisic completed his move to the Bridge before the ban was imposed and he made a debut in a recent win over Reading. But it was another youth academy product who took the headlines as Mason Mount scored twice. The young attacking midfielder played for Lampard while on loan at Derby and has looked ready for the step-up in pre-season.
Lampard has made it clear he is prepared to give youth a chance and that’s good news for the likes of Mount and Hudson-Odoi.
History
These are two teams with rich histories, though Chelsea’s triumphs are more recent.
Die Fohlen dominated German football in the 1970s, winning their five Bundesliga titles in that decade and losing a European Cup final to Liverpool in 1977. Monchengladbach has bagged two UEFA Cups and won the DFB Pokal on three occasions.
The fifth-largest club in Germany finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season and so will take part in the Europa League.
Chelsea won that competition last May, beating Arsenal in the final, and the Blues can add that to their six league titles, eight FA Cups and a Champions League triumph. And a third-place finish had already secured a Champions League place for the 2019/20 season.
Betting Tip
Lampard’s Blues arrive in Germany with some good pre-season results under their belts. Victories over Barcelona and Reading have been welcome boost for the new manager and I think he’ll carry his momentum through to the weekend.
Monchengladbach has two key players missing, and though I think Die Fohlen can run Chelsea close, I’m backing the Blues.
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