Borussia Dortmund have a full strength squad heading into their Bundesliga clash against Borussia Mönchengladbach at Borussia-Park on Saturday afternoon.
The big news heading into the game is the return on Donyell Malen. Edin Terzic confirmed that the Dutchman finally overcame his thigh problem, and then an illness. The 25-year-old has missed Dortmund’s last three games across all competitions, and hasn’t featured since the international break. Should Malen come through the final training session unscathed, then there’s a potential starting spot for the Dutch forward ahead of Karim Adeyemi.
Kicker note that Julian Brandt could also come back into the picture. He came off the bench against Atletico Madrid to help Dortmund back to within one goal of the Spanish side ahead of their Champions League clash on Tuesday. Brandt’s return would mean Felix Nmecha dropping to the bench, with Marcel Sabitzer and Emre Can playing in a double-pivot, Terzic’s preferred duo.
There’s also a potential talking point in attack. Niclas Füllkrug hasn’t scored in his last nine games for Borussia Dortmund across all competitions, but Terzic has backed his forward. However, another option would be to start Sebastien Haller, who has come off the bench in Dortmund’s last three games, scoring one and creating one.
After last weekend’s defeat against Stuttgart, a win here is important for Borussia Dortmund’s season. More so following RB Leipzig’s win, meaning the Saxony club leapfrogged their Bundesliga opposition to move into fourth, the last Champions League spot.
Predicted Borussia Dortmund XI vs Borussia Mönchengladbach
Gregor Kobel – Julian Ryerson, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ian Maatsen – Marcel Sabitzer, Emre Can – Donyell Malen, Julian Brandt, Jadon Sancho – Niclas Füllkrug.
