Gladbach vs. Dortmund preview: Can BVB climb back into the top four?
Dortmund travel to Borussia-Park for the "Borussia battle" on Friday night against Daniel Farke's side, who are coming off a disastrous loss to lowly Bochum.
| Lars Stindl. | Photo: Borussia Mönchengladbach |
Borussia Mönchengladbach
After beating Stuttgart on Matchday 13, Gladbach surprisingly lost to Bochum midweek. The 9th-place side are looking to renew their push back into European football with some points before the much-needed World Cup break.
Luckily, 15 of Gladbach's 19 points have come from home this season, as they've mostly struggled with their away form. Yann Sommer will play for Switzerland in the World Cup, but still isn't ready to return for Gladbach between the sticks.
Although the club have several players in various World Cup squads, Gladbach notably released a statement on Thursday distancing themselves from Qatar.
In his press conference, Daniel Farke commented, "I call a spade a spade and speak about things openly. I was not happy with the first 20 minutes in Bochum. I have said that to the team and publicly."
Team News
Alassane Plea won't play with Covid-19, while Florian Neuhaus and Hannes Wolf remain out with injuries. Patrick Herrmann and Tony Jantschke are doubts. On the other hand, Ko Itakura is questionable.
Sommer and Tobi Sippel are still unavailable, which means 20-year-old Jan Olschowsky will again start in goal.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund fell to an in-form Wolfsburg team on Tuesday and are now 6th in the Bundesliga table. While they've only allowed 17 goals through 14 games, the offense is struggling to consistently put their chances away.
Jude Bellingham, who leads the league in duels won, will be vital in the middle of the park for BVB per usual. Germany's newly minted striker Youssoufa Moukoko should against start up front at just 17 years old.
Still dealing with ankle issues, Marco Reus is unlikely to play until 2023.
Edin Terzic said, "We have not achieved enough wins. - Gladbach will certainly want to show a different face after Tuesday's defeat. Just like us. Tomorrow is the very last opportunity of this calendar year to score points again."
Team News
The injury list still includes Mateu Morey, Thomas Meunier, Marius Wolf, Tom Rothe, Mahmoud Dahoud, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Sebastien Haller. Reus is doubtful.