Borussia Dortmund will be in action in Mönchengladbach between the two Champions League clashes against Atlético Madrid: BVB will visit the Borussia on the Lower Rhine at 15:30 CET on Saturday.

According to Edin Terzic, there were one or two aches and pains following the intense away game in Spain. Nonetheless, the BVB coach is operating under the assumption that all players will be available apart from long-term injury absentee Ramy Bensebaini. Terzic is also optimistic about Donyell Malen, who was sidelined with a knock to his thigh. The attacker will be back on the pitch with the team again for the first time in the final training session on Friday. "Then we'll make the decision whether he's okay for Saturday," said Terzic, whose team have now lost two games in a row following a run of five consecutive victories: against VfB Stuttgart last Saturday (1-0) and away to Atlético Madrid on Wednesday (2-1).

The defeat to Stuttgart saw BVB drop down to fifth position in the Bundesliga table and out of the Champions League spots. "We know very well that we have to improve," explained Terzic. He and his team have been focusing on the next task at hand since Thursday morning. "We're currently focusing exclusively on Gladbach. From Sunday onwards, we'll deal with the return fixture against Madrid. But now our clear focus is on the game tomorrow."

The last two home matches against Mönchengladbach have ended in victory (4-2 and 5-2). The most recent away win dates back to March 2021 (1-0), when the team triumphed in the DFB-Pokal quarter-final en route to lifting the trophy. In the Bundesliga, however, the Black & Yellows have lost three times on the trot in Mönchengladbach (4-2, 1-0, 4-2). "That illustrates that it will be a difficult task. In home games in particular, they have managed time and time again to pick up wins against top teams. They beat VfB Stuttgart this season. We've been warned," said Terzic.  

The side in 11th place also won their last match 3-1 away to VfL Wolfsburg. Terzic said: "They were able to come from behind to get an important win, in which they chose a slightly more defensive-minded approach that they will want to maintain. Like us, they are one of the strongest counter-attacking teams in the league and extremely dangerous from set-pieces."

Terzic is expecting to face a team that will "come at us with a lot of power". Despite the away trip in midweek, the coach is still confident: "We've proven in the past that we can also be an unpleasant opponent when playing in this rhythm."
Christina Reinke

BVB TV by 1&1: The press conference prior to the match in Mönchengladbach