Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
By Michael Lee
Borussia Dortmund meet Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday in the pick of the opening round of Bundesliga fixtures.
BVB were bridesmaids again last season, finishing second behind eventual champions Bayern Munich. As German football legend Lothar Matthaus has said, Dortmund will need to have a '100% season' and hope Bayern slip up if they are to regain the Bundesliga title.
Monchengladbach finished four points and two places behind Saturday's opponents, qualifying for the Champions League. While they may have optimistic ambitions of winning the title, finishing in the top four would represent another good season for Gladbach.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Saturday 19 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 17:30 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Signal Iduna Park
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport 1 (UK), fuboTV (US)
Team News
Dortmund have some injury worries in defence, with Marcel Schmelzer and Dan-Axel Zagadou missing, while Nico Schulz and Mateu Morey are both doubts. Other than that, manager Lucien Farve has an embarrassment of attacking riches to choose from.
Monchengladbach will also be missing some key first team players. Manager Marco Rose will be unable to call upon the services of forward Breel Embolo, Austria international Valentino Lazaro and left back Andreas Poulsen.
Predicted Lineups
Borussia Dortmund: Burki; Emre Can, Hummels, Akanji; Meunier, Brandt, Witsel, Guerreiro; Sancho, Haaland, Hazard.
Borussia Monchengladbach: Sommer; Lainer, Elvedi, Ginter; Bensebaini, Kramer, Neuhaus, Stindl; Hoffman, Plea, Thuram.
Recent Form
With both sides looking to start their campaign with a win, it is perhaps more illustrative to look how each team ended last season.
After failing to overhaul Bayern Munich, Dortmund lost their final two home matches against Mainz and Hoffenheim. However, BVB thrashed MSV Duisburg 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal during midweek with five different goalscorers hitting the target.
Monchengladbach fared even better in the German Cup, demolishing lower-league Oberneuland 8-0 during the week. They ended last season by pipping Bayer Leverkusen to the final Champions League spot with a run of three victories. Their fans will be expecting the team to carry over this momentum into Saturday's match.
Here are the last five competitive results for each team:
Borussia Dortmund
Duisburg 0-5 Borussia Dortmund (14/9)
Borussia Dortmund 0-4 Hoffenheim (27/6)
RB Leipzig 0-2 Borussia Dortmund (20/6)
Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Mainz (17/6)
Fortuna Dusseldorf 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (13/6)
Borussia Monchengladbach
Oberneuland 0-8 Borussia Monchengladbach (14/9)
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Hertha Berlin (27/6)
Paderborn 1-3 Borussia Monchengladbach (20/6)
Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 Wolfsburg (16/6)
Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach (13/6)
Prediction
This is certainly the most mouth-watering game in the opening round of Bundesliga fixtures.
Both teams are stacked full of attacking talent and will be looking to push on this season. Dortmund will be delighted to have retained Jadon Sancho for now, and the addition of Jude Bellingham will be sure to excite the BVB faithful.
While Monchengladbach are a good side, the trio of Sancho, Erling Haaland and Thorgan Hazard should ensure Dortmund start the season with a win.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach