Football

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Borussia Dortmund: Marcus Thuram vs. Erling Haaland

ortmund’s Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland reacts during the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund in Leipzig, on January 9, 2021. (Photo by Ronny HARTMANN / various sources / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO

Erling Haaland against Marcus Thuram will be the main attraction when Borussia Mönchengladbach host Borussia Dortmund on Friday, and that’s the battle of two of the Bundesliga’s brightest attacking talents as they go head-to-head.

bundesliga.com looks at how some of the major battles will shape up at Borussia-Park.

Only leaders Bayern Munich  have found the net more times than Borrusia Dortmund this season, and Haaland is a 6’3″-sized reason behind that.

The Norway international, blessed with a sang froid in front of goal drained from a frozen fjord, has 12 goals in just 12 Bundesliga appearances giving him more than a third of his team’s 33 top-flight strikes this season. And you thought his start to life in Dortmund last season was fast with 10 goals in his first 11 league matches….As teammate Gio Reyna has said, “Just look at the numbers.”

Haaland’s stats are not the only reason he is so important to Dortmund. When he missed four games with a muscle injury between Matchdays 10 and 14, he watched his teammates pick up just four points.

“He was missing for a couple of weeks, and you noticed that in Dortmund’s play and Dortmund’s mentality on the pitch,” explained German football legend Lothar Matthäus after seeing Haaland fire two goals in BVB’s Matchday 15 defeat of RB Leipzig, the forward’s second game back after injury. “He’s a machine. He’s a tornado that blows you over.”

Referee Frank Willenborg shows Moenchengladbach’s French forward Marcus Thuram the red card during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Moenchengladbach v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Moenchengladbach, on December 19, 2020. (Photo by Marius Becker / POOL / AFP)

Thuram’s trajectory since arriving in Germany has been almost as spectacular as that of Haaland.

“Borussia allowed me to take the next steps in my career; I play in the Champions League and made it into the national team,” explained the 23-year-old France international. “And in Gladbach I’ve grown not only as a player, but as a person. Borussia was the best choice for my career.”

There were 10 goals and eight assists in his maiden season, which was cut short by an ankle injury. That layoff perhaps explains the sluggish start Thuram has made to the current campaign with just two goals and a single assist so far.

His lengthy suspension following his red card against Hoffenheim comes to an end just in time to face Dortmund – Gladbach will need him to hit the ground scoring if they are to much up to Haaland and BVB.

Tom Kirkwood

Recent Posts

It’s three out of three for Robbie on the opening day of the RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town

by Stephen Granger Robbie Simpson made it three in a row as Spanish veteran, Anna…

1 hour ago

World trail athletes aiming for the Top of the Table in RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town

The eyes of the trail world will be focused on the southern tip of Africa…

1 day ago

Marathon magic in New York and Soweto

Competitive racing was the order of the day at the TCS New York City Marathon…

2 weeks ago

Mainz 05 Coaches Inspire Youth at Totalsport Safe-Hub in Johannesburg’s Alexandra

A coaching team from Bundesliga club 1.FSV Mainz 05 has visited the Totalsport Safe-Hub in…

3 weeks ago

Spotlight on African basketball talent and milestones as NBA’s 2024/25 season takes off

An NBA season packed with African talent and colourful courts is underway, with games available…

3 weeks ago

Tsitsikamma and Trail Running – setting the gold standard for inclusive conservation

Victor Mokoena and his team in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park…

4 weeks ago