Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Borussia Dortmund
Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf
Saturday, 13-06-2020 @4pm
Dortmund are once again on the verge of narrowly missing out on the Bundesliga title, it seems.
The Klassiker defeat in late May shattered their hopes of sealing the league as they are now trailing leaders Bayern Munich by seven points heading into this weekend’s fixture.
Black and Yellows have secured two back-to-back victories since. But, they were made to work for thier 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin last week. And with just four matches remaining, Lucien Favre’s men could potentially hand Bayern Munich the league title if they fail to secure a win against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Dusseldorf have been among the most unpredictable sides in the Bundesliga this season. They are yet to perform consistently since the return of the league and are dawdling at the bottom end of the league table, just three points ahead of relegation-threatened Werder Bremen.
Die Flingeraner were given a 5-0 drubbing the last time these two sides met. And given the way they have defended this season, Dusseldorf are once again expected to struggle against a Dortmund side which has scored 81 goals in the league so far.
Long-term absentee Zack Steffen remains sidelined for Dusseldorf, while Marcel Sobottka and Bernard Tekpetey are also doubtful. Adam Bodzek is suspended after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season last weekend, and Rosler may opt to switch to a back four as Dusseldorf prepare for a challenging afternoon.
Hummels will almost certainly slot back in to the Dortmund defence as the German returns from suspension, meaning that last week’s match-winner Can will likely make way. Erling Braut Haaland is also facing a race to be fit after missing the last two games with a knee injury, but the forward has returned to training and could play a part here. Marco Reus is also making good progress with his recovery but will not feature for this one, and Nico Schulz, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Mahmoud Dahoud all remain out for Favre’s side. Should Haaland make the first XI for this tie, the forward could be supported by Sancho and Julian Brandt in attack with Thorgan Hazard dropping to the bench
Bayern Munich vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Allianz Arena, Munich
Saturday, 13-06-2020 @7:30pm
Bayern will look to edge closer to winning the Bundesliga as they welcome Borussia Monchengladbach to the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
The Bavarians led by Hansi Flick, has been pretty much unstoppable since December and will be able to put an end to the Bundesliga title race if Borussia Dortmund drop points against Fortuna Dusseldorf earlier in the day.
Their last defeat came against none other than Borussia Monchengladbach, after which they have gone on a 21-game unbeaten run.
The race for the title had gone on to become rather chaotic, but Bayern pretty much wrapped it up against Dortmund in Der Klassiker, registering a 1-0 win. After a roller-coaster of a season, we have reached a very predictable end.
Gladbach, however, are very much alive in the exciting competition for a Champions League spot, with seven points separating Der BVB in second and them in fourth. But, they are on the same number of points as Bayer Leverkusen who stand 5th and could be in with a chance to gain some advantage over Die Fohlen.
The champions-elect traveled to Leverkusen last week and dismantled Die Werkself at their own home, putting four past Lukas Hradecky and conceding twice, once very early in the game and the other very late. Gladbach, on the other hand, are coming off a very disappointing display from last week after tasting defeat at the hands of Freiburg.
Theyshould have been their moment to draw level on points with RB Leipzig, who are third at the moment with 59 points. Marco Rose’s men will be looking to use this game to record a double over Bayern, who might be tired after their midweek clash against Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal.
Serge Gnabry missed out Bayern’s cup victory in midweek with a bruised back, and it remains to be seen whether the 24-year-old will be passed fit for the visit of Monchengladbach. Bayern will already have to do without Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, both of whom are suspended for this fixture having picked up bookings last weekend. Gnabry’s potential absence opens up a spot for Ivan Perisic to start out wide, while the young Joshua Zirkzee could be given a chance to lead the line for Bayern.
Monchengladbach have also suffered losses in the attacking department following Alassane Plea’s red card in the defeat to Freiburg. However, Breel Embolo is an option for Rose after the forward made his return to training, while Raffael has also overcome a minor ankle problem. Denis Zakaria, Fabian Johnson and Tobias Strobl all remain on the treatment table for Monchengladbach.
In Robert Lewandowski (30 goals, three assists) and Thomas Muller (seven goals, 20 assists), Bayern Munich will be without the two players responsible for 66 per cent of their Bundesliga goals this season. Hansi Flick has won 23 of his first 26 competitive games as Bayern coach, two more than Pep Guardiola won across the same period at the club. Bayern Munich have scored 90 goals from 30 games this term, more than any other team at the same stage in the league’s history. Borussia Monchengladbach have prevailed in three of their last five meetings with Bayern Munich. Ramy Bensebaini – with his only Bundesliga brace – sealed a 2-1 win for the Foals with a stoppage-time penalty in the reverse fixture. Lars Stindl has been directly involved in a goal in five of his seven games against Bayern Munich with Gladbach (three goals, two assists). He was won four, drawn one and lost just two of those games.
The other Bundesliga games this weekend
Saturday, 13-06-2020
-Wolfsburg vs Freiburg @4:30pm
-Koln vs Union Berlin @4:30pm
-Hertha Berlin vs Frankfurt @4:30pm
-Paderbon vs Bremen @4:30pm
Sunday, 14-06-2020
-Mainz vs Augsburg @4:30pm
-Schalke vs Leverkusen @7pm
Results, Friday, 12-06-2020
-Hoffenheim 0-2 Leipzig
