Top of the table clash takes centre stage in Germany
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Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga lead has been cut to six points, and by the end of Friday night, Borussia Monchengladbach could reduce that figure to just three. Manager Lucien Favre watched his Dortmund side huff and puff but fail to blow down Fortuna Dusseldorf in midweek.
The loss ended Dortmund’s 15-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. More importantly, it opened up the title race for both Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich.
Monchengladbach won in midweek just minutes before Dortmund kicked off in Dusseldorf. The Foals can now draw closer as the winter break beckons. Dortmund will go into the break as winter champions, but they now look far more fallible than they did before. Dortmund and ‘Gladbach are the two highest scoring teams in the Bundesliga with 42 and 35 goals scored, respectively. In terms of goals conceded, ‘Gladbach have allowed the second fewest with just 16 while Dortmund are third with 17 allowed. Friday night’s game at the Signal Iduna Park will be a massive fixture and one perfect for neutrals to watch.
Favre’s team has collected 22 of 24 points possible at home this term posting a +17-goal difference. Paco Alcacer leads the Bundesliga in goals scored with 12. He found the back of the net against Fortuna in midweek and is a threat using his feet or through the air. Alcacer’s career has been given new life under Favre. Marco Reus has added another 10 goals and combined with Alcacer, the duo has tallied over 50 percent of Dortmund’s scoring.
Mönchengladbach have elite scorers in their ranks as well. Thorgan Hazard has found the back of the net nine times. Alassane Plea has scored nine goals as well as his summer signing continues to pay off for Dieter Hecking. Although ‘Gladbach are second in the Bundesliga, they have struggled on the road. Just nine points from 24 possible have been taken away from Borussia Park. The team has posted a –1-goal difference in that time. Just two wins have been recorded on the road and ‘Gladbach are winless in their last two away trips.
History tells us that Dortmund should win on Friday night. The Yellow and Black have won six out of six meetings with ‘Gladbach in the league. Until last February’s 1-0 win, the five prior had seen over 2.5 goals scored in each. Those five matches had also seen both teams score. In total, Dortmund have won 11 of 12 games in all competitions against ‘Gladbach, and Friday will see them win once more. Dortmund will restore their lead to nine points over ‘Gladbach going into the break.
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