Our next opponents: League leaders at the limit

position

Borussia Mönchengladbach do not currently have a lot of time to savour being top of the table. Since the international break, one challenge follows the next: First at Dortmund, then in Rome and finally against Frankfurt, and then at Dortmund again – and at the BayArena on Saturday. Borussia have had eventful days with eventful games. The Foals defended top spot in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a spectacular 4-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. The team coached by Marco Rose have been at the top of Germany's top flight since the beginning of October and are currently one point ahead of FC Bayern. Borussia did get knocked out of the DFB Cup on Wednesday night. Gladbach were leading at Borussia Dortmund up to the 77th minute when the former Leverkusen player Julian Brandt knocked Sommer & Co. out of the competition with a brace. And Gladbach's games in the Europa League have not been quite so successful: The 4-0 defeat in the opener against Wolfsberger AC was followed by 1-1 draws in the two away games at Basaksehir and AS Roma and there have been no wins to date. However, the Foals always show great morale and they equalised in added time both in Turkey and in the Italian capital.

personnel

Marco Rose, already very successful at RB Salzburg, brought a clear playing philosophy to the Lower Rhine in the summer – and it has worked well so far. Borussia Mönchengladbach normally play a 4-3-3 system with three midfielders who are primarily supposed to control the centre of the pitch. A key player in this role: Switzerland international Denis Zakaria (pictured above). The 22-year-old has had an outstanding season so far playing as a number six, is responsible for winning a lot of possession and also an important linch-pin in opening up the game. Ahead of the three players in midfield, Rose normally has a three-man attack with new signing Breel Embolo often in the role of playmaker and the midfield trio is then extended into a diamond. Rose has a lot of options in attack and, in addition to Embolo, the two Frenchmen Alassane Plea and Markus Thuram are the two top goalscorers for Borussia this season. And: Rose can also call on a very important piece of his jigsaw for the game against Bayer 04 – his captain. Lars Stindl has been out of action for six months with a broken leg and only appeared for the first time under Rose in the middle of October. Up to Wednesday, the 31-year-old was a substitute but he has impressed coming off the bench: In Rome, he scored the equaliser late on from the penalty spot and he provided an assist against Eintracht Frankfurt. Stindl made his first start since his injury in the DFB Cup game at Dortmund and he lasted the full 90 minutes. It is possible that Stindl may make his Bundesliga comeback in the starting line-up at the BayArena on Saturday.

Problems

Stindl's chance of playing is so high because Mönchengladbach currently have a large number of injuries. Embolo had to be taken off early in the game against Frankfurt on Sunday and there is a question mark over him playing at Leverkusen as is the case with fellow striker Plea with neither player in the squad in Dortmund. Fabian Johnson and Raffael have both been sidelined for a long time. And Borussia are not only thin on the ground in attack but also at the back with central defender Tony Jantschke also having to leave the pitch early against Frankfurt. "It shows we're at the limit and we can't afford to overstretch ourselves," said Rose. He also acted according to this maxim in the case of Matthias Ginter. In spite of the problems in central defence, Rose did not play the Germany international in the cup game against Dortmund following his recovery from a shoulder injury but kept him back on the bench in case of emergency. And, as Jantschke was also sidelined, the 19-year-old Louis Beyer started the game. Ginter is set to return at the BayArena on Saturday but as with many other Foals players it's a case of: An appearance is not certain.

Potential

The decision appeared unpopular at first sight – but it appears to be paying off now: Although Borussia Mönchengladbach were very successful under Dieter Hecking and were only knocked off a Champions League spot in the final game of last season, the club management decided clearly before the end of the season to go into the 2019/20 campaign with a new coach: Rose instead of Hecking. The measure was actually aimed at medium to long term success for the team. Rose, a target for many Bundesliga clubs for several years, has now brought that success forwards. With a lot of players capable of developing on board, Gladbach can look forward to the future with confidence under the new coach.

Prediction

Borussia Mönchengladbach will be battling to stay at the top of the Bundesliga for another week at Leverkusen on Saturday. In the long term, it could be difficult to hold off the rivals from Munich – but if the Gladbach injury list shortens then there's no reason to think Borussia should play any worse. After the Foals narrowly failed last season, the conditions for qualification for the Champions League now appear promising.