Bundesliga: Battle of the Borussias to Start Season with a Bang

Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach

There’s no question what the marquee matchup of the first weekend of the new Bundesliga season is: It’s the Battle of the Borussias, Dortmund vs Monchengladbach.

Both clubs finished in the top four last season. Dortmund were once again runners-up to champions Bayern Munich, while Gladbach had a fantastic first year under coach Marco Rose.

However, Dortmund have utterly dominated Gladbach in recent years, and the Bundesliga 2020 betting odds fancy the BVB to tame the Foals once again right out of the gates.

Talking Points

Sancho’s back to lead dangerous Dortmund attack

By far the biggest Bundesliga 2020 news for Borussia Dortmund this summer is that Jadon Sancho is still on the team despite continuous speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.

The 20-year-old had another brilliant Bundesliga campaign last season as he finished with 17 goals and 16 assists — both led the team. He will once again be the central figure in a dangerous Dortmund attack which possesses a host of talented weapons.

The biggest of those weapons, Erling Braut Haaland, is set to play his first full season in Germany following his arrival in the winter. The young Norwegian was one of the Bundesliga’s breakout stars of last season as he scored 13 goals in just 15 appearances.

Meanwhile, Marco Reus is back and healthy again. The Dortmund skipper was limited to just 19 games last season due to injury, though he still had 11 goals and five assists. Reus — a former Gladbach player — has an exceptional record against his old club, with nine goals and six assists in 12 appearances against them.

Dortmund will miss wing-back Achraf Hakimi, who was an important part of their attack last season. Thomas Meunier, who arrived from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, is set to take his spot on the right.

Aside from Meunier, Dortmund’s other notable newcomer is Jude Bellingham. The 17-year-old midfielder, who made a €26.50m move from Birmingham City, got the start and scored his first goal for Dortmund in their 5-0 thrashing of Duisburg in the DFB-Pokal.

However, both Bellingham and fellow youngster Giovanni Reyna — who also started and scored against Duisburg — are likely to be on the bench, with two of Axel Witsel, Emre Can, and Thomas Delaney starting in central midfield.

Borussia Monchengladbach were impressive last Bundesliga season under Marco Rose — Borussia Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose after the match vs Greuther Fuerth

Gladbach remain intact

Borussia Monchengladbach had a brilliant first season under Marco Rose. The Foals found themselves in first place for a spell early in the season while playing some exciting attacking football. They would eventually finish fourth, their highest finish since 2015-16.

Gladbach got fantastic seasons from their French forwards, Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea, who combined for 20 goals and 18 assists.

Meanwhile, the young Swiss duo of forward Breel Embolo (eight goals, five assists) and midfielder Denis Zakaria also had fine breakout seasons. Zakaria is one of the most highly-rated defensive midfielder prospects and has been linked with a potential move to Liverpool.

The good news for Gladbach is that all of their promising young players are still on the team — for now, at least. They also didn’t make any notable additions to their squad, but continued growth from the likes of Thuram, Zakaria, and Florian Neuhaus could still push them to another level this year.

Gladbach were a terrific home team last season; their 38 points were second only to Bayern’s 41. But they dropped too many points away from Borussia-Park. They had eight wins, six losses, and three draws in 17 away matches despite conceding only 19 goals, the fourth-fewest in the league.

History

The Battle of the Borussias has been a rather one-sided affair in recent years. Dortmund have won each of the last 10 league meetings between the two sides.

Over their last 27 league meetings, Dortmund have won 18 times while Gladbach have won just six. Gladbach’s last away win at Dortmund came all the way back in 2014.

Reus scored the only goal in this fixture last season but didn’t feature in the return fixture. He has scored in each of his last four matches against his old club.

Betting Tip

	Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach	Borussia Dortmund Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.08
	September 20, 00:30 (GMT+8)

SBOTOP odds have Borussia Dortmund as heavy 1.64 favourites to win their first home game, while Gladbach are priced at 4.50. A draw is 4.20.

All the signs point to a Dortmund win. They are a great home team, and while the Yellow Wall won’t be full of fans like it usually is, there will at least be some in attendance. Meanwhile, Gladbach have had there struggles away. And of course, there is the overwhelming recent history in Dortmund’s favour.

That’s why a bet on Dortmund -1.00 on the Asian Handicap market is the way to go. A Dortmund victory of two or more goals wins the bet while a narrow 1-0 win would still return your stake.