How do BVB and Gladbach stack up? | OneFootball

How do Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach stack up?

With just two points separating the two Europe-chasing Borussias ahead of their Matchday 30 meeting, bundesliga.com takes a look at how Dortmund and Mönchengladbach compare.

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Strong attacks

Goals win games, and the teams will look to their forward lines to get them the three points they crave this weekend. In Serhou Guirassy and Tim Kleindienst, the Borussias each have a star centre-forward whose success up front is a determining factor in their side's fortunes. Both have been in excellent form this season, with 15 Bundesliga goals apiece, although Kleindienst also has five assists (compared to Guirassy's one).

The strike pair attract the headlines, but the supporting cast are no less deserving of attention. Maximilian Beier had a slow start to life in the Ruhr, but now has eight goals and five assists in the Bundesliga, including three strikes in his past three. There's also pace in abundance in the form of Karim Adeyemi, Jamie Gittens and Julian Duranville.

Gladbach boss Gerardo Seoane's preferred supply line, meanwhile, typically consists of the mercurial Robin Hack and veteran Alassane Pléa, who has racked up a healthy 10 goals to go alongside his four assists so far this term.

Reliable goalkeepers

Almost as important as putting the ball in the back of the net is keeping it out. Happily, Dortmund and Gladbach are well equipped in that department.

By now, Dortmund's Gregor Kobel is a relative Bundesliga veteran - this being his sixth full season in the Bundesliga. There have been ups and downs in 2024/25, but there is no doubting the Swiss shot-stopper’s ability. He has managed four clean sheets in the Bundesliga and five in the Champions League, and at the age of 27, he is one of his side’s elder statesmen and leaders.

By way of contrast, Gladbach rookie Tiago Cardoso has made only five appearances in the Bundesliga, amounting to fewer than 500 minutes. Nevertheless, to say he has quickly adapted to the elite would be an understatement. He has conceded on just three occasions during that time, while also managing three shut-outs.

The 19-year-old got his chance after injuries to Jonas Omlin and Moritz Nicolas but, as Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus said after the 1-0 victory over RB Leipzig recently, “We have a source of goalkeepers that apparently never runs dry.”

Defensive contrasts

Both goalkeepers will look to their defences to help them out at Signal Iduna Park. With 45 goals conceded, Dortmund have the leakiest backline in the Bundesliga’s current top nine, while a season-ending injury to Nico Schlotterbeck deprives them of one of their best centre-backs and leaders.

Still, there has been a noticeable improvement since Niko Kovač took over from Nuri Şahin. For example, they are now conceding just 1.2 goals per game compared to 1.7. The addition of Daniel Svensson at left-back in January was an important one, and Kovač has switched to a back three in the past trio of league matches in the search for more solidity.

BVB are unbeaten during that time and they also inflicted a first defeat of the calendar year on Barcelona during the week, even if they were ultimately knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.

Gladbach have hardly been watertight, shipping just two fewer strikes than Dortmund. That said, they have conceded only seven in as many games, and were able to shut out Leipzig.

Midfield battle

Midfield duels often decide such close encounters, and this game could end up being no different.

Dortmund will know all about Gladbach vice-captain Julian Weigl, who spent almost five years at the club between 2015 and 2020. He has missed all but one game in the Bundesliga for Gladbach this season, wearing the captain’s armband on 22 occasions. The 29-year-old will likely be partnered by the sprightly Rocco Reitz, who was injured for the defeat against top-six rivals Freiburg but should be available for this one.

For the Black-and-Yellows, it's Pascal Groß who will assume creative duties in the engine room. Only five players have managed more than his seven assists this campaign, although he is still waiting for his first goal. Julian Brandt, with six assists, also has the vision to pull Gladbach apart from deep, with Felix Nmecha or Emre Can set to provide the more physical foil.

Form

The teams come into the encounter in similar form, winning three, losing two and drawing one of their last six Bundesliga encounters. Dortmund have had a slightly more difficult fixture list, playing four of the current top seven, but Gladbach's matches against Freiburg, Leipzig and Mainz were not simple on paper either.

Dortmund’s last Bundesliga fixture was a 2-2 draw with league leaders Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker, while they almost pulled off an incredible comeback in the aforementioned Champions League encounter in midweek, defeating Barcelona 3-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final tie only to lose 5-3 on aggregate.

Seoane’s men, on the other hand, were 1-0 up before losing 2-1 to Freiburg on Matchday 29, a result that followed a 1-1 draw with lowly St. Pauli.

The reverse fixture on Matchday 13 between these two also ended all square, with Kevin Stöger cancelling out Gittens’ opener. As so often in football, it's the small details that could decide the latest Battle of the Borussias.

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