Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Mönchengladbach: Dortmund’s Young Stars Bring Perfect Start To New Campaign (3-0)

Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach provided each other with a tough test to kick off their Bundesliga campaigns. Matching up in similar three-at-the-back shapes, these two were generally tough to separate in this contest. It was Dortmund’s young attacking core that provided the cutting edge that Mönchengladbach lacked as a notable attacking pair were absent for them. Dortmund walked away with the three points but the final score certainly belies the competitiveness of the clash. 
Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma.

In the Bundesliga, there are few matchups more exciting than this one. Two of the league’s top sides would meet during the opening weekend of the 2020/21 season. Last season’s second-placed outfit Dortmund hosted a side that finished only four points behind them, fourth-placed Mönchengladbach. This was the perfect opportunity to kick off potential title-challenging campaigns for both sides. This was especially the case considering the flying start that Bayern Munich got off too.

Dortmund’s Lucien Favre sent out his side in a 3-4-1-2 formation. A back three of Emre Can, Mats Hummels and Manuel Akanji was ahead of the man in goal, Roman Bürki. Thomas Meunier was joined by Thorgan Hazard in the wing-back positions. The highlight of this youthful squad selection was the presence of two seventeen-year-old midfielders. The first, Jude Bellingham, would support Axel Witsel in the double pivot Two central midfielders next to . . .