Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Monchengladbach: Challenges keep coming for Klopp´s strugglers

Sebastian Kehl has called on Borussia Dortmund to prove they can juggle dual ambitions when they host Borussia Monchengladbach.

Dortmund’s terrible start has been the story of the Bundesliga season so far, with Jurgen Klopp’s men – who have finished in the top two in the last four seasons – amazingly sitting second-bottom after 10 matches.

Few would have believed that Dortmund would sit in the relegation zone after almost three months of the campaign, but Klopp’s side have had no problems in the UEFA Champions League.

In fact, Dortmund’s excellent form in Europe – they have won all four of their group matches and have already qualified for the competition’s last 16 – has made their Bundesliga struggles even more surprising.

Dortmund have lost their last five league matches and collected just one point from their past seven.

The fixture schedule has not been kind to Dortmund in recent weeks either, with a spirited 2-1 loss at champions Bayern Munich now followed by a clash against the third-placed Monchengladbach this weekend.

Dortmund have lost all three league matches they have played after Champions League fixtures this season and that is a record that Kehl says his team-mates are determined to break.

“Gladbach will be tough opponents for us on Sunday,” the midfielder told Dortmund’s official website.

“It will be a very intensive game. We have to prove now that after a good Champions League game we can take points in the league too.

“It would be great if we could start with that this weekend.”

Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos offered a similar view to Kehl and knows his side must produce “a turnaround” in the Bundesliga.

“We have to bring the determination and incisiveness from the Galatasaray game with us,” he added.

Dortmund beat the Turkish giants 4-1 on Tuesday, with Sokratis, Marco Reus and Ciro Immobile all getting on the scoresheet.

Monchengladbach are one of just two sides who remain undefeated in Bundesliga this season and that form has carried over into their UEFA Europa League campaign.

With two wins and two draws from their four Group A contests, Monchengladbach – who beat Apollon 2-0 in Cyprus on Thursday – sit top.

Dortmund will hope that their opponents will be fatigued on Sunday and the fact that Monchengladbach did not have the result secure until the 95th minute – when Patrick Herrmann netted the side’s second – may help them.

Herrmann has scored three goals in his last two matches.

Mats Hummels (foot) will miss out for Dortmund, while Nuri Sahin and Ji Dong-won are also injured.

Monchengladbach won both encounters between the two sides last term, following up a 2-0 home success with a 2-1 win in Dortmund in March this year, despite finishing with 10 men.