Pre-Match Report
The facts on the away match in Gladbach
The scenario: Only three points separate 10th place (Gladbach) from fifth (Dortmund). A victory would see the Borussia from the Rhine move level with their counterpart from Westphalia on points and leapfrog them in the standings – if they win by at least two goals.. The last time the Foals were above the Black & Yellows in the standings was not this or last season, but rather after Matchday 10 of the 2022/23 campaign. BVB have always been above BMG in the table on the last 70 matchdays.
Home/away: The home defeats to champions Leverkusen and runners-up Stuttgart on Matchday 1 and 3 have been followed by a run of four home victories (Union, Heidenheim, Bremen, St. Pauli). Gladbach have picked up 12 of their 17 points at home (BVB 19 out of 20). Borussia Dortmund have failed to win any of their first five away games of a Bundesliga season for the first time since 2005/06, but even back then under Bert van Marwijk they managed four draws. The last time they took only one point from their first six away games was under Pal Csernai in 1985/86.
Head-to-head record: The two Borussias have recently always played to win this tradition-steeped clash, with the last 22 meetings in the Bundesliga never producing a draw and the last 54 clashes never resulting in a goalless stalemate. Borussia Dortmund have mostly come out on top: BVB have won 15 of the last 18 Bundesliga meetings, including the last three. It is almost always entertaining: the last five encounters between the clubs alone have produced 28 goals (5.6 per match). BVB have taken points against Gladbach in 23 games in which they went 1-0 down (10 wins and 13 draws) – no other team in Bundesliga history can surpass that in one fixture.
Statistics: Gladbach's 3-1 defeat in Freiburg last weekend ended a run of five matches without defeat. The team have conceded only 17 goals – that's 10 fewer goals than at the same stage of last season. BVB have only failed to find the net in one match (the 0-0 draw in Bremen). No team has fielded more players under 21 years of age (five).
Last season: Marcel Sabitzer fired BVB into a 2-0 lead thanks to a brace in the 22nd and 28th minutes. The first goal came courtesy of Nico Schlotterbeck's assist, the second from the penalty spot following a foul on Schlotterbeck by Ngoumou. Gladbach's Wöber cut the deficit to 2-1 before the break. Five minutes after the restart, Sabitzer converted a second penalty awarded for a foul to put the Black & Yellows 3-1 ahead. But the penalty decision was subsequently reversed, meaning the goal did not count, and the last 40 minutes were 10 vs. 11 following Karim Adeyemi's dismissal for two bookable offences (55). But the 10 men of Dortmund still saw the victory over the line.
Biggest away win: Borussia Dortmund celebrated the biggest of their 15 away victories to date on 5 March 1988, when Frank Mill (26), Norbert Dickel (38) and Andreas Möller (76) scored in front of only 9,600 spectators at the Bökelberg to seal a 3-0 triumph. BVB ended the season in 13th position, while Gladbach finished seventh.
Compiled by Boris Rupert