Match Preview: Marco Rose and Borussia Dortmund Travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach

All eyes will be on Marco Rose as he makes his return to Borussia Park for the first time as manager of Borussia Dortmund after spending two seasons in charge of Borussia Mönchengladbach. Rose’s early days with the Black and Yellows have shown promise, having won four straight across all competitions as BVB currently sit one point back of league leaders Bayern Munich heading into the weekend. With Erling Haaland already in midseason form, Dortmund will hope to continue their offensive hot-streak in a pivotal away match against a disappointing Mönchengladbach team.

Transitioning from Marco Rose to former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Adi Hütter has not come with immediate success for Borussia Mönchengladbach. After a shocking eighth place Bundesliga finish last season, the troubles have continued for Gladbach to start the 2021-22 campaign. They have managed a paltry four points through their first five matches, and currently sit in a startling 16th on goal differential in the league table heading into the weekend. Aside from a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, Gladbach’s defensive record has actually been quite strong, conceding only five goals through their other four matches, including a promising 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich to start the season. Their offensive output, on the other hand, has been uncharacteristically poor. After scoring 64 goals in 34 matches last season, they have managed a strikingly underwhelming 5 goals to start the Bundesliga campaign. With the likes of Lars Stindl, Alessane Plea, and Patrick Hermann in their lineup, Mönchengladbach have the quality to kickstart their offensive production and will surely be looking to end their disappointing September on a high-note in a home match against their Borussen rivals.

Borussia Dortmund received some promising mid-week news on the injury front as Nico Schulz, Dan-Axel Zagadou, and Soumaïla Coulibaly all returned to team training in some capacity. Of the three, only Nico Schulz appears to be a possibility for a spot in the team on Saturday, although the potential for healthy defensive reinforcements in the near future is a promising development for a BVB side yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga this season. Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Gio Reyna all remain out, while Thorgan Hazard appears ready for increased minutes off the bench in his second game since returning from injury.

With no surprise additions to the team, Marco Rose should be expected to replicate his starting XI from Dortmund’s 4-2 victory over Union Berlin.

Prediction

With a hostile road environment and Gladbach sure to want to get a win over their former boss, this could be a tough match for Borussia Dortmund. With that being said, I still think Dortmund’s attack is far too overwhelming for a struggling Mönchengladbach side. I predict a 3-1 win for BVB, and for Donyell Malen to finally find his name on the scoresheet.