Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac will have to do without several key players in the match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, but he can also welcome back some returning players.
On Friday (December 19, 8:30 p.m.), Borussia Dortmund will face Borussia Mönchengladbach at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park. Before the Bundesliga teams head into the winter break, BVB coach Niko Kovac wants to secure three points with his team.
To the delight of millions of soccer fans, the Borussia clash will be broadcast live on free-to-air TV. The commercial broadcaster Sat.1 is adjusting its schedule for the occasion and will air the match on Friday evening immediately following the finale of the 15th season of “The Voice of Germany.” At the same time, a free livestream will be available on the Joyn platform.
Dortmund will be without several players for the final match of the year. BVB will be without the two center backs, Aaron Anselmino and Waldemar Anton. Additionally, Ramy Bensebaini is away with the Algerian national team at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Jobe Bellingham is suspended due to his red card from the match against SC Freiburg.
However, compared to the Freiburg game, Kovac can also welcome back several players. Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Brandt, and Salih Özcan are back in the squad. “They completed training on Thursday, and there will be a light session on Friday before we head to the hotel. That means we have a few more options against Gladbach than we did in the last game,” the coach revealed ahead of the match.
After a disastrous start to the season under coach Eugen Polanski, Gladbach have gotten back on track and currently sit in eleventh place in the table. BVB is in third place and could move into second place by the winter break with a win and a simultaneous loss by RB Leipzig to Bayer Leverkusen.
We have to set the stadium on fire again on Friday together with our fans so we can win the game
Niko Kovac
“Everyone saw that they struggled at the start of the season, but Eugen Polanski has stabilized and normalized them. They’ve made good progress in recent games,” explained Kovac. “There were constant switches between a back four and a back five, and I think a system has now been established. They’re a very tough team to play against, one that defends very well and will look for chances on the counterattack.”
Although the BVB coach expects a difficult match, Kovac has confidence in his team’s strengths. He also emphasized that a home win in the last game of the year is the clear goal.
“We’ve picked up seven points in our last three Bundesliga games and want to end the year with a win. We need to set the stadium ablaze once again on Friday together with our fans so that we can win the game,” Dortmund’s coach made clear.