Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach
The top two teams in the Bundesliga meet this weekend, and it couldn’t get any better as Dortmund try to re-establish their lead at the top while Monchengladbach aim to cut it down further.
BVB are coming off a defeat against 15th-placed Fortuna Dusseldorf, but that may be because they have their focus on this matchup. On the other hand, Gladbach set themselves up better ahead of this game, beating relegation-threatened Nuremberg in a fairly comfortable encounter.
Gladbach are only six points behind Lucien Favre’s men after the midweek results, and a win at Signal Iduna Park will see that go down to three heading to the winter break.
Surely, it’s game on!
Talking Points
Dortmund’s first top-flight defeat of the season, at the hands of Dusseldorf, came as a surprise. After all, BVB were overwhelming favourites heading into the game and all odds suggested a one-sided affair at Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Despite the unexpected turnout, though, that loss shouldn’t affect the confidence of the league leaders when they take on Gladbach at home.
Of course, Favre should field his best squad right from the off and avoid holding back as they did against Dusseldorf. However, there’s plenty of reason for them to believe that they can quickly return to winning ways.
Paco Alcacer, for one, has just set a new record for a substitute. While his 81st-minute goal failed to provide enough spark for BVB, it was all he needed to become the only player in German top-flight history to score 10 goals as a sub.
Even more remarkable, he did it just 16 matches into the campaign, giving him more time to add to his tally and etch his name in Dortmund lore.
Furthermore, BVB have proven that they are difficult to beat at Signal Iduna Park. They are still undefeated in 12 contests at home this 2018-19, winning 10 and drawing the other two.
Perhaps, the best result of the team on their turf is their come-from-behind Der Klassiker victory earlier in November. Their performance in that game—one which saw them erase two leads—is one for the ages and proved they are different beasts at home.
Certainly, Gladbach will be keen to end Dortmund’s dominant run. They are the second-best offensive team with 35 goals, and the rising Foals can undoubtedly mount a surprise every now and then.
Their attacking duo of Thorgan Hazard and Alassane Plea have been pivotal to their 10-3-3 start to the campaign, and the two are more than capable of threatening the BVB defence.
In fact, in what could be seen as a warning shot to Dortmund and their fans, Hazard and Plea both scored to take down Nuremberg 2-0 and bring their tally to nine each.
If there’s one problem for Dieter Hecking’s charges, it’s that their three defeats and three draws all came on the road—a bad record to bring against the best home team in the Bundesliga right now.
History
A Gladbach win will surely make the headlines of Bundesliga 2018 news, and for a good reason. Gladbach haven’t won against Dortmund for almost three years now, last beating their North Rhine neighbours in April 2015.
Since then, they have met six times, with Dortmund winning all those fixtures.
Last season, Dortmund produced one of their best games when they thrashed Gladbach 6-1 at Signal Iduna Park. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit a hat-trick back then, while Maximilian Philipp bagged a brace to pace the team to victory.
Of course, Auba is no longer with them and Philipp has found himself with a reduced role amid the ascension of Alcacer. Nevertheless, BVB have more depth now and will see their previous match-up as a source of inspiration.
The away fixture at the Borussia Park (Monchengladbach) ended up with a 0-1 scoreline, but Marco Reus was the one who scored the lone goal of the game. Currently, Reus is Dortmund’s second-best scorer with 11 markers to go along with six assists.
Betting Tip
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Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach | First Half 1X2 Draw @ 2.42 |
| December 22, 03:30 (GMT+8) |
Given the position of the two teams, it’s quite perplexing to see the SBOBET odds point to a BVB domination.
Dortmund have shown that they are a cut above the rest, but it’s always hard to write off a team that has also made significant strides this year.
With the homecourt advantage and overall squad depth, I see Dortmund regaining their footing and winning this fixture. But I doubt it will be as comfortable as what the Bundesliga 2018 betting odds imply.
I think this will be a tightly contested encounter, with the first half ending all square before Alcacer steps up again in the second half.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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