Dortmund sit third with 29 points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Freiburg on December 14. Gladbach, meanwhile, arrive in 11th place on 16 points following a 3-1 defeat to Wolfsburg three days earlier.
Dortmund struggled going forward against Freiburg, managing just three shots after opening the scoring in the 31st minute. That display was influenced by Jobe Bellingham’s red card shortly after the break, which left the hosts playing with ten men for much of the second half.
Despite that setback, Niko Kovac’s side had been in strong attacking form beforehand, scoring at least twice in five of the six matches leading up to the draw. Defensive consistency remains an issue, though, with only two clean sheets recorded in their last nine games across all competitions.
Level on points with second placed RB Leipzig, Dortmund are already nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich, making a title push difficult. Even so, the season is shaping up positively, as their 29 point haul after 14 games is seven more than they had at the same stage last season and represents their best return at this point in four years.
Their only loss in the last eight matches came in the DFB Pokal against Bayer Leverkusen on December 2. During that run they have picked up three wins, although another draw on Friday would make it three consecutive stalemates. Kovac has overseen just one Bundesliga defeat all season, and Dortmund have been beaten in only one of their last 15 home matches, winning 11 of those at Signal Iduna Park.
Gladbach’s loss to Wolfsburg ended a run of three straight clean sheets and marked the second time in six league games that they have conceded. They are only five points clear of the relegation playoff position, so a win would ease any lingering fears of being pulled into a survival battle.
Goals have been hard to come by for the visitors, with 18 scored so far, the joint lowest tally among the top 13 teams. Notably, two thirds of those goals have arrived after the interval.
Head coach Eugen Polanski is aiming to secure his side’s first win over Dortmund in six matches, while another defeat would make it five losses in that span. Gladbach had been on a strong run before the Wolfsburg game, winning four and drawing one of their previous five league fixtures, but recent form has dipped with two defeats and a draw in their last four outings in all competitions.
A victory on Friday would give Polanski a fourth straight away win, extending an impressive run in which Gladbach have scored eight goals without conceding on the road.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
With Bellingham suspended following his red card, Niko Kovac is expected to turn to Pascal Gross and Felix Nmecha to anchor Dortmund’s midfield.
At the back, Niklas Sule, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck are all in contention to form a three man defence, particularly with Ramy Bensebaini unavailable while on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Algeria.
Serhou Guirassy is set to lead the line as the central striker, with Karim Adeyemi and Carney Chukwuemeka likely to operate just behind him in supporting roles.
Gladbach, meanwhile, are dealing with a long list of absentees, including attacking options Robin Hack, Tim Kleindienst and Nathan N’Goumou, all of whom are expected to miss Friday’s game.
Haris Tabakovic should start up front, and given the lack of available attackers, Shuto Machino and Giovanni Reyna may be deployed alongside him in the forward line.
In midfield, Rocco Reitz and Yannik Engelhardt are candidates to form a double pivot in front of a back three that could feature Joseph Scally, Nico Elvedi and Kevin Diks.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
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
EXPERT PREDICTION
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
