Prediction: Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Verdict: Home win by two or more goals

Best odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: Betfair

Borussia Dortmund will be hosting namesakes from Monchengladbach at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon, within the 32nd round of the Bundesliga roller coaster. The points on offer aren’t quite at the same level of significance for the two teams, but the contest should still be an interesting one.

Borussia Dortmund

It’s difficult to explain why Dortmund need to win this match, as they sit second in the German top flight with a tally of 64 points, just one less than league leaders Bayern Munich. Just three steps of the title race remain, and with no other contestants standing any reasonable chance of lifting the trophy, Edin Terzic’s side must make sure to take advantage of any opportunity the perennial champions might offer by means of a slip-up at the top. Whether that proves enough, remains to be seen; after all, the matter is still in the hands of the Bavarians, who face relegation-threatened Schalke 04 at home earlier on the same day.

Dortmund haven’t exactly achieved desired results in recent away matches, but at home they’ve been pretty consistent. Their last-six run to date begins with a 2-0 defeat away to RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal, followed by a 2-1 home win over Union Berlin. Then they drew 3-3 away to VfB Stuttgart, beat Eintracht Frankfurt at home by 4-0, drew 1-1 away to VfL Bochum, and smashed Wolfsburg at home by 6-0.

Jude Bellingham, who has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer and is only waiting for the two clubs to find common ground on the transfer fee, bagged a brace against Wolfsburg, as did Karim Adeyemi, with Sebastien Haller and Donyell Malen also on target.

Team News

Right-backs Mateu Morey (knee) and Thomas Meunier (muscle) are absent through injury, as are wingers Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder) and Julien Duranville (thigh).

Gregor Kobel will be between the posts, with Mats Hummels paring up with Niklas Sule in the heart of defence, flanked by Marius Wolf and Julian Ryerson. Emre Can will anchor the midfield, with Bellingham and Julian Brandt in box-to-box roles. Upfront, Haller should be supported by Malen and Adeyemi from wide areas.

Borussia Monchengladbach

In terms of table placement, this season hasn’t seen much movement for Gladbach compared to the previous one. They enter the Saturday pack of Bundesliga matches sitting 11th, after Koln triumphed over last-place Hertha to overtake them by two points. With a tally of 39 points, Daniel Farke have mathematically secured survival on one hand, and they have no realistic chance of qualifying for any of the European competitions on the other. A victory over Dortmund would obviously see them rise above Koln again; a loss would see them stay put as the gap to 12th-place Werder Bremen amounts to four points.

Gladbach played away to Koln in early April, a game that ended without a winner or any goals that started their current last-six run. After that, they beat Wolfsburg at home by 2-0, drew 1-1 away to Eintracht Frankfurt, lost 0-1 at home to Union Berlin, lost 2-1 away to Stuttgart, and beat Bochum at home by 2-0 last week.

Jonas Hofmann broke the deadlock in that match in the 35th minute, and just as it entered its second-half stoppage time, Lars Stindl made sure there were no late surprises by adding the second goal.

Gladbach’s cup campaign ended in a very disappointing fashion, with a second-round defeat to 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt back in October.

Team News

Farke has a pair of attacking issues to work around, with winger Yvandro Borges Sanchez and striker Marcus Thuram ruled out through an ankle and a muscle injury, respectively.

With that in mind, Alassane Plea is expected to lead the line, supported by Florian Neuhaus, Nathan Ngoumou and Hofmann. Stindl will be joined by former Dortmund man Julian Weigl in the middle of the park, while centre-backs Marvin Friedrich and Nico Elvedi, together with fullbacks Stefan Lainer and Ramy Bensebaini, forming the back line. Since Yann Sommer’s departure to Bayern, the place between the posts belongs to Jonas Omlin.

Conclusion

Gladbach have been hard to predict at times throughout the season, so every suggestion of an outcome should maybe be taken with a pinch of salt, but going into this clash, they’ll certainly be considered underdogs, given the vast quality and the immense motivation of the hosts.

What’s more, Dortmund have been very consistent at the Signal Iduna Park lately, while Gladbach hasn’t been playing too well away from the Borussia-Park. Everything appears to be pointing at a convincing home win.

Verdict: Home win by two or more goals

Best odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: Betfair