Borussia Dortmund aim to celebrate the second successive Bundesliga title with a victory in front of their own fans, but their namesake from Moenchengladbach will try to spoil the party and theoretically ensure the final Champions League berth. All things considered we should see a great game of football at Signal Iduna Park.

Just one step away

After winning the Bundesliga title in style last term, Borussia Dortmund experienced some problems at the start of the new season, as the team appeared to be struggling to find the right balance between their Champions League and Bundesliga campaigns. That resulted in an early elimination from Europe, but the Champions League exit proved to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed Jurgen Klopp’s men to fully focus on domestic competitions. As the league campaign unfolded BVB kept raising their form and they soon leapfrogged title rivals Bayern in the standings, before the victory over the Bavarians saw them virtually ensure the first place in the standings. The 2-1 away win over Schalke helped Borussia create an eight-point cushion at the top, meaning they are now just one win away from the league title. After winning 14 of last 16 games after the winter break, the hosts have every reason to feel optimistic ahead of the clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Neven Subotic and Sven Bender return to the side, whereas Mario Goetze could make his first appearance after four months.

Die Fohlen back in business

Borussia M’gladbach have come a long way over the last year of so, seeing they narrowly escaped relegation last season only to enter the Bundesliga title fight this term. Lucien Favre’s side spent much of the league campaign battling Bayern and BVB for the first place in the standings, but they just couldn’t keep the pace and have since slipped to fourth place. Borussia are now seven points clear of fifth-placed Stuttgart, meaning they are on the verge of ensuring Champions League qualification, although they will try to catch third-placed Schalke and thus avoid Champions League qualifying stages. The 3-0 victory over Koln helped the players restore some of the lost confidence, and we can now expect die Fohlen to try and win this game as well. In spite of facing arguably the best side in the league, the visitors are unlikely to discard their attack-minded approach.

Roman Neustadter misses out with an ankle problem, whereas Marco Reus will have a chance to further impress his future employers.

Verdict

Borussia Dortmund will give their best to celebrate the league title at their Signal Iduna Park, but they could find it hard to beat resurgent M’gladbach. The visitors, too, are expected to adopt an attacking approach and we could see goals galore in Dortmund.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.75 (3/4)

Bookmaker: Sportingbet