Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach - prediction, team news, lineups

Friday's Bundesliga clash between hosts Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park will have significant ramifications at both ends of the table.

Third-placed Dortmund have 29 points having been held to a 1-1 stalemate by Freiburg on December 14, whereas Gladbach were beaten 3-1 by Wolfsburg on December 13, and they come into the game in 11th place with 16 points.

Match preview

The hosts only produced three shots against Freiburg after initially taking the lead in the 31st minute, but their poor offensive display can in part be mitigated by the fact they were reduced to 10 men in the 53rd minute when Jobe Bellingham was sent off.

Niko Kovac's side did manage to score at least two goals in five of the six matches prior to their draw with Freiburg, though they have only kept two clean sheets in their last nine fixtures in all competitions.

BVB are level on points with second-placed RB Leipzig but their hopes snatching the Bundesliga title away from first-placed Bayern Munich are slim given they have to overhaul a nine-point deficit.

Failure to claim the title should not mean that 2025-26 is classified as failure considering their current points tally of 29 is seven more than they totalled at the same stage of 2024-25, and it is in fact their best return after 14 matchweeks in four years.

Dortmund's only defeat in their past eight outings came in the DFB-Pokal against Bayer Leverkusen on December 2, with the club experiencing three wins in that time, though a draw on Friday would be their third consecutive stalemate.

Kovac has only overseen one loss in his team's 14 Bundesliga matches, and Black and Yellow are unbeaten in 14 of their 15 most recent games at Signal Iduna Park, claiming victory on 11 occasions.

Gladbach's defeat against Wolfsburg brought to an end a streak of three consecutive clean sheets in the top flight, and it was the second time in six matches they they had failed to keep their opponents at bay.

Die Fohlen are only five points from 16th-placed St Pauli, who occupy the division's relegation playoff spot, so three points on Friday would prevent them from being dragged into the battle for survival.

The visitors' tally of 18 league goals is the joint worst return in the top 13, and it should be noted that 12 of those goals have come after the half-time interval.

Eugen Polanski will hope to guide his side to their first win against BVB in six matches, while a loss would be their fifth in that period.

Gladbach won four and drew one of the previous five league fixtures to their clash against Wolfsburg, but they have lost two and drawn one of their last four in all competitions.

Victory for Polanski would be his fourth in a row away from home, with the head coach's side scoring eight goals without reply in those triumphs.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions):

Team News

With Bellingham now ruled out for Dortmund because of his red card, Kovac is likely to look to Pascal Gross and Felix Nmecha in midfield.

Niklas Sule, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck are candidates to feature together in their team's three-man defence, especially with Ramy Bensebaini currently away with Algeria at AFCON.

Serhou Guirassy is certain to start as a number nine, while Karim Adeyemi and Carney Chukwuemeka could play in supportive roles behind him.

Gladbach's absentee list is extensive, with forwards Robin Hack, Tim Kleindienst and Nathan N'Goumou among those set to miss out on Friday's match.

Haris Tabakovic can be expected to start as a striker, and with so many unavailable, perhaps Shuto Machino and Giovanni Reyna will be stationed in the frontline alongside the centre-forward.

Rocco Reitz and Yannik Engelhardt may appear in a double pivot ahead of central defenders Joseph Scally, Nico Elvedi and Kevin Diks.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Sule, Can, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Gross, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Chukwuemeka; Guirassy

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:

Nicolas; Scally, Elvedi, Diks; Castrop, Reitz, Engelhardt, Netz; Machino, Reyna; Tabakovic

We say: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Borussia Monchengladbach

Dortmund's record at Signal Iduna Park is impressive, and they will undoubtedly prove difficult to beat on Friday.

Gladbach may have lost last time out, but their defensive performances on the road have been excellent, and they should have enough to earn at least a point against BVB.

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