FoalsAfter unbeaten starts to the Bundesliga for both teams, they'll be hoping to end each other's record on Sunday.
Image credit: Bayern Munich
Borussia Mönchengladbach take on Bayern Munich this Sunday, aiming to close the gap on Pep Guardiola's men to just a point.
The hosts have made an incredible start to the season and have defied the 'Europa League football ruins domestic seasons' adage. So many times, at least in recent years, participation in Europe has damaged the domestic credentials of a club and often led to a sub-par finish. Freiburg and Frankfurt fell victim to it last year, as some teams struggled to . However, Gladbach are emphatically rubbishing that and are doing well on both fronts, so much so that Guardoila labelled them as 'A Champions League team.'
Whether Lucien Favre's side can hold onto their current placing remains to be seen, but it's the highest of praise from one of football's most respected managers. The Foals haven't been scoring goals with vigour, but have kept things water-tight in defence. A 4-1 win over Schalke and a couple of 5 goal+ victories in Europe have shown they can turn it on when they need to. A big part of that has been Max Kruse's return to scoring form in the Bundesliga; Branimir Hrgota has also been hitting the net with regularity in the Europa League, with the Swede scoring once and assisting twice on Thursday's 5-0 win over Apollon.
A massive part of the aforementioned defensive effort is Christoph Kramer, and Favre was only to happy to report his side is at full strength for Bayern's visit: "We have no injuries, everyone is available. Christoph Kramer, who was ill, is now fit." However, as comes with the weekly European commitments, he was quick to add there would be alterations to the starting team, "It's difficult to know how many changes there will be only 12 hours after the game. There will be changes, but I don't know how many yet."
When attentions turned to the task at hand, the Swiss coach explained the approach that they would take, "We mustn't be afraid of Bayern. They play quality football, but we'll prepare and see how it goes. If you don't defend well against Bayern, then it can be dangerous very quickly. Robben, Götze or whoever, are all there to attack." The versatility and strength in depth of the home defence will be keep, especially with Tony Jantschke equally adept at right-back. That could stand him in good sted for dealing with the winding and weaving runs, centrally, that will undoubtedly come his way.
In the Bayern Munich camp, things are even rosier than the red kits. After demolishing, to put it politely, Roma by seven goals to one; it's been as near perfect start to a season as one could hope for. Mario Götze is showing just why the Bavarians shelled out €37m for him, by topping the Bundesliga scoring charts with six goals. A win for Bayern would see them go six points clear of Hoffenheim in second place, but Guardiola refused to be drawn into title talk: "It's difficult for me to talk about the title in October. It's tough for me. It's disrespectful to other teams." "Just look at the results in Europe this week. There are a lot of good teams in this league."
The Spaniard was also quizzed on the extra days rest that Bayern have over their opponents on Sunday, though he suggested it invigorates other teams, "Of course it's better to have more rest, but when you play against Bayern, that tiredness disappears." Unfortunately for the Bavarians, they have multiple players out for the clash: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber, Tom Starke, Thiago Alcántara, Javi Martínez and José Reina will all play no part in the game. Having only conceded two goals so far, Bayern boast the best defence in Europe and that's with two fantastic defenders in Badstuber and Martinez.
As the press conference drew to a close, Guardiola began to chat about Gladbach, Favre and how impressive they are: "He's [Favre] a super coach. He's the type who can coach anywhere. His team is personal to him." He said, "Gladbach are really well organised, and have a lot of strength on the flanks, as well as Raffael and Kruse in attack. They are a Champions League team."
To finish, Pep joked around with the reporters, when the Real Madrid-Barcelona match was brought up in conversation: "Maybe we'll watch it (El Clasico), because it's one of the biggest games in Europe. After Gladbach vs. Bayern of course."
Predicted XI's
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Sommer; Johnson, Jantschke, Stranzl, Wendt; Herrmann, Kramer, Xhaka, Traore; Raffael, Kruse. (4-4-2)
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Rafinha, Lahm, Alonso, Bernat; Robben, Götze; Lewandowski. (3-4-2-1)
Quotes via DW Sports.
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