Crisis summit at Borussia Park
Five Borussia Dortmund players have made it into the German World Cup squad. While the nominations of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck had been expected, the confirmations for Adeyemi, Brandt and especially Moukoko came as a far greater surprise. The latter in particular can look forward to his debut in the senior national team jersey. The 17-year-old was able to convince Hansi Flick with his good performances.
Admittedly, Moukoko is currently one of the few players who consistently shows his qualities and helps the team. The Black and Yellows cannot be satisfied at all with their performance so far this season and are lagging far behind their own expectations. It will be all the more difficult to win the last competitive match at Borussia Park in the 2022 calendar year. Between Gladbach and Dortmund, betting on an away win carries a lot of risk.
This assessment is partly due to the fact that in the four most recent Bundesliga encounters between these teams, the respective hosts have always had the upper hand. In addition, BVB has recently been rather weak, especially away from home.
All this should play into the hands of the Foals, who are much stronger in front of their own fans. At first glance, the prediction ahead of Friday night’s match between Gladbach and Dortmund is therefore in favour of the home side.
Gladbach – Statistics & current form
While BVB, as mentioned at the beginning, have five players called up to the German World Cup squad, the other Borussia, as expected, have only one player making it, Jonas Hofmann. Meanwhile, Ko Itakura will be the German opponent in World Cup Group E for Japan. The Fohlen defender, who joined from Gelsenkirchen before the season, has been missing recently due to injury, but could now make his comeback in time for his last competitive match at club level.
In the absence of the strong leader, the team from the Lower Rhine has had enormous problems with its own defence in recent weeks. They have conceded 17 goals in the last seven league games. Cup opponents Darmstadt 98 from the second division also scored two goals against the Farke team, eliminating them from the DFB Cup. They have conceded at least two goals in seven of the past eight matches. A very poor result!
Gladbach build on their own home strength
Hopeful in this respect, however, is the fact that only eight of the total of 22 goals conceded were conceded at home. In general, the Foals are much stronger and more dangerous at home than away from home. This becomes clear when you look at the home table, where Borussia is in fifth place with 15 of a possible 21 points (five wins, two defeats). In the real table, however, they are only in ninth place – already six points behind the international places.
In view of the aforementioned home strength and Daniel Farke’s expected reaction after the painful 2-1 defeat against Bochum last week, the odds on the double chance 1X make more sense in our eyes than the odds on the away win before the match between Gladbach and Dortmund. Not least, by the way, because the two most recent BL home games against the upcoming opponents were victorious.
In terms of personnel, the coach will probably have to hope until the end that one of his two keepers will return in time. It is also possible that Yann Sommer and Tobias Sippel will be absent again and that Olschowsky, who is only 20 years old, will be used. Neuhaus and Wolf are definitely not available. There is hope, however, for Ko Itakura.
Predicted line-up of Gladbach:
Olschowsky – Scally, Friedrich, Elvedi, Bensebaini – Weigl, Koné – Hofmann, Kramer, Plea – Thuram
Last matches played by Gladbach:
Bundesliga
09/11/2022 – VfL Bochum 2 – 1 Gladbach
05/11/2022 – Gladbach 3 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
30/10/2022 – Union Berlin 2 – 1 Gladbach
22/10/2022 – Gladbach 1 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt
DFB Cup
19/10/2022 – Darmstadt 2 – 1 Gladbach
Dortmund – Statistics & current form
And every year the groundhog says hello. One is almost inclined to say that it has almost become an annual tradition that BVB, despite once again having high expectations, is trailing by many important points at the end of the calendar year and can actually forget about the championship.
Although the Black and Yellows are currently only six points behind leaders FC Bayern, their recent performances do not give them even the slightest hope that the Terzic team will be able to challenge for the top spot with a strong second half of the season. In particular, the anaemic performance in Wolfsburg during the week once again revealed the constantly growing list of shortcomings at the reigning vice-champion.
Drawn-out Dortmund weaken away
The attacking output is too low, the defence has noticeably lost stability compared to the first few weeks of the season and the bulging medical list is also causing headaches for those in charge. The omens before the important duel on the Lower Rhine could definitely be better. For example, BVB would certainly have liked to play their last Bundesliga match in front of their own fans.
Away from home, nothing is going right for Westphalian Borussia. Four of the last five games away from home were lost. The only win came in Frankfurt, 2-1, although it was extremely fortunate and should not have come about in this form due to a serious error of judgement by the referee. The goal difference of 8:12 and eighth place in the away table speak volumes and serve as a powerful argument to refrain from predicting a three-goal win between Gladbach and Dortmund.
In terms of personnel, Coach Terzic still has to cope with some important absences. Marco Reus will not only be absent at the weekend, but also for the 2022 World Cup. In addition to him, Dahoud, Bynoe Gittens, Haller, Meunier, Rothe, Wolf and Morey complete the list of absentees. Moukoko, who leads the internal scorers’ list with six goals and four assists, is and remains the hopeful candidate.
Predicted line-up of Dortmund:
Kobel – Süle, Hummels, N. Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro – Özcan, Bellingham – Reyna, Brandt, Malen – Moukoko
Last matches played by Dortmund:
Bundesliga
09/11/2022 – VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 0 Borussia Dortmund
05/11/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 3 – 0 VfL Bochum
Champions League Grp. G
03/11/2022 – FC Copenhagen 1 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga
29/10/2022 – Eintracht Frankfurt 1 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
Champions League Grp. G
26/10/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 0 – 0 Manchester City
Gladbach – Dortmund Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Actually, Borussia Mönchengladbach can be described as Borussia Dortmund’s favourite opponent. The Black and Yellows have won twelve of the last 14 Bundesliga matches. This includes five of the last seven matches at Borussia Park. However, BVB lost the two most recent away matches on the Lower Rhine. In general, the home team has had the upper hand four times in a row between these teams. A trend that could continue on Friday night…
Gladbach – Dortmund Tip
For Daniel Farke, Friday night’s game is certainly a very special one. Between 2015 and 2017, the current Gladbach man was on the sidelines at Dortmund’s reserves, where he first made a name for himself. After a few years in England, there is now a reunion with old acquaintances. But there will be no handouts or gifts.
This match is too important for both sides, especially as neither the Foals nor the Black and Yellows can be satisfied with the way the season has gone so far. We believe in an intense match and therefore refrain from betting on the three-way market between Gladbach and Dortmund. Value does not come with the quotes on the away success of the supposed favourites.
We therefore try the betting odds on DNB 2 ahead of the matchday 15 opener between Gladbach and Dortmund. In the event of a draw, the stake would be returned. Nevertheless, a very attractive 2.30 is offered on the two-way market, which is worth four units to us.
