Only Bayern Munich and their goalgetter supreme Robert Lewandowski have scored more times than the Borussias this season , and when you look at the front lines of both teams, you can see why. Jadon Sancho , Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus have already had a Bundesliga season together, and their ability to link up to devastating effect has been upgraded this season, thanks in large part to Alcacer's improved fitness.
Watch: Reus and Sancho combined to devastating effect against Gladbach last season. Dortmund will hope the ex-Barcelona man will have shaken that off by the end of the international break to reprise his formidable trio with Sancho and ex- Gladbach man Reus, who have three and four league goals respectively.
Alcacer enjoyed the sort of sprinting start to his Bundesliga career last season that Marcus Thuram is revelling in this term. Thuram's three goals and two assists have come in a purple patch of his last three Bundesliga outings, and if you add Patrick Herrmann to the mix, the four have been involved in all 17 of Gladbach's goals in competitive games this season. Only Sancho — last season's leading goalmaker in the Bundesliga — has more assists this season than Plea, who has worked his way into the highly competitive France squad as a consequence of adding more than one string to his bow since arriving in Germany just over 12 months ago.
Only Wolfsburg's miserly defence has conceded fewer times than Gladbach this season with Marco Rose 's men allowing opponents just six opportunities to find the back of their net so far this season. While the forwards have been grabbing headlines for their game-winning goals, their work without the ball — Thuram has won more challenges than any other Gladbach player this season — has meant they have also been the first line of defence for a side that Rose, who arrived after taking Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian title last season, has rejuvenated.
With a superb Nico Elvedi , who boasts a league-leading 98 per cent pass completion, alongside ex-Dortmund man Matthias Ginter and in front of the ever-sure-handed Yann Sommer , Gladbach have conceded on average fewer than one goal a game.
