Gladbach vs Dortmund: Can visitors regain their footing in Borussia derby?
Visiting side Borussia Dortmund will be keen on ending their downward slump when they travel to face Borussia Moenchengladbach. Friday’s clash is the second of two Borussen derbies this season, and a lot has changed since the two sides met last September. The first meeting saw die Schwarzgelben cruise to a comfortable 3-0 win, with youngsters Erling Haaland and Gio Reyna combining to earn all three points. Dortmund then followed that up with a 2-0 loss to Augsburg, but quickly rebounded to win four on the trot. Impressively, during that run, they didn’t concede a single goal, but all that came undone when they were pitted against bitter rivals Bayern.
In the second Klassiker, Dortmund fought valiantly but ended up losing 3-2. This then marked a downward slide for the team, who hit their nadir with a humiliating 5-1 loss at home to newly-promoted Stuttgart – which cost Lucien Favre his job. Since interim coach Edin Terzic took over, die Schwarzgelben initially showed signs of improvement, but now will come into this match on a two game winless streak. That includes a recent 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen which could ultimately prove decisive in the race for a Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, Gladbach have started to slowly turn a corner after a difficult period. Die Fohlen come into this match having secured a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen, which will certainly please manager Marco Rose. Since losing 2-1 to Hoffenheim, Gladbach have started off 2021 in fine mettle, with three wins from their last four matches, and will naturally be keen on getting revenge on their rivals for their 3-0 opening season loss in September. So far, Gladbach have already showed they can mix it up with the big boys with a resounding victory over reigning champions Bayern Munich, during which they impressively came from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. This result is especially notable because Gladbach have also beaten another title contender this season: in October they earned a hard-fought 1-0 result over Leipzig.
Currently, the hosts sit in seventh spot, but are actually just a point behind fourth-placed Dortmund. Thus, a win here would see Gladbach jump into fourth spot, which will be their highest ever ranking this season. After securing fourth last season and Champions League football, die Fohlen will certainly want to get a crack at European club football’s premier competition – and they can certainly make inroads with another win here. The visitors will be missing a few key players for this clash, including Thorgan Hazard, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Axel Witsel, and Marcel Schmelzer. By contrast, the hosts have been given a huge boost with Marcus Thuram returning up front to feature in attack alongside Alassane Plea, but Breel Embolo still hasn’t fully recovered.
Gladbach will also be keen on ending a frustrating hoodoo against Dortmund, as they have lost their last 12 clashes with die Schwarzgelben across all comps. That includes their last five Bundesliga matches, but Rose’s side have been excellent on home turf, with just one loss in their last 12. Coupled with the return of Thuram after a five-match ban and Dortmund’s injury list, the odds are looking pretty good for die Fohlen to come out on top here.
