[ad_1]
Real Madrid’s campaign in the Champions League got off to the worst possible start last week, and if they’re not careful, it will be back-to-back losses on Tuesday night.
Borussia Mönchengladbach, one of the most exciting young teams in the Bundesliga, are your next opponents and they will be delighted to have chances after seeing what Shakhtar Donetsk did to Zinedine Zidane’s at the Bernabéu.
The Ukrainians took advantage of Sergio Ramos’ absence to score three times in the Spanish capital before weathering a late storm and hoping for a shocking 3-2 victory.
And while Zidane will be bolstered by the return of their captain, and the confidence that comes from a win over Barcelona, Mönchengladbach represents the kind of threat that Real must be wary of.
Marco Rose’s team have earned a reputation for being one of Germany’s most attractive teams in recent seasons, and they showed that they are not easy to convince by almost coming out with three points from their first match at Inter Milan this week. pass.
Here, Sportmail takes a closer look at why Monchengladbach could leave Real Madrid with an uphill battle to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
HOFMANN IMPROVING WITH AGE
By the time Jonas Hofmann turned 25, he had only made eight starts during a Bundesliga season.
Fast forward three years and the versatile midfielder is now one of the key players in Rose’s Monchengladbach squad and has an international cap to his name.
Hofmann made his first appearance for Germany at the age of 28 earlier this month and it looks like he’s finally fulfilling the promise that saw him break through with Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
Able to play centrally, as No. 10 or out of bounds, the former Mainz loan is on good form and already has four goals and five assists to his name in all competitions this season.
One of those goals came last week against Inter, when he was the coolest man in the San Siro when he ran for goal before passing Samir Handanovic.
Hofmann has been compared to Marco Reus in his home country and has the ability and frankness to cause Zidane four all sorts of trouble on Tuesday night.
THE CONFIDENT ROSE HAS ITS STARS SET
Mönchengladbach manager Rose did not see Real’s Clásico beat Barcelona on Saturday because his team were playing at the same time, but that didn’t stop him downplaying their 3-1 win.
“In any case we know that Barcelona is in a difficult phase and that it is no longer the Barcelona that we all know and admire,” he said during a press conference, perhaps in an attempt to start some mental games with Zidane.
Whether that was a genuine observation or not, Rose has certainly been preparing for Tuesday’s game for a while.
He made five changes to the team that tied Inter against table-bottom Mainz last week, resting players like Hoffman and key midfielder Florian Neuhaus early on before introducing them after the break to help seal a 3-fold win. -two.
Forwards Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea, who starred during Monchengladbach’s season at the top of the table last season, were also benched in a bid to keep them fresh for the visit of Karim Benzema and company.
Rose enjoys the opportunity to face a “great rival” in the form of Real, and his players will be fit and shooting due to his clever rotation policy.
MONCHENGLADBACH HOME FORTRESS
Considering how he struggled at home last week, Real Madrid may not be eager to play on one of the toughest courses in Germany.
Mönchengladbach had the second-best record of any Bundesliga team at home last season, losing just three games and taking 38 points out of a possible 51.
Champions Bayern Munich were the only team to score the most points (41), while only five teams have beaten Monchengladback at Borussia-Park in all competitions since the start of last season.
They are undefeated in their two games there this season and have only suffered one loss at home or away in eight games, having been beaten by Borussia Dortmund in the season opener.
The task would have been even greater for Real if Mönchengladbach had been allowed to host more than 10,000 fans at the stadium as planned.
However, an increase in coronavirus cases in the city means that it is now no longer possible, with just 300 lucky supporters allowed to attend one of the night’s biggest games.
PASS MASTER NEUHAUS
A clip of Hofmann’s goal in a 2-2 draw with Inter went viral last week, but not for the reason you might expect.
Although the midfielder’s perfectly timed run and calm finish were to be admired, it was Florian Neuhaus’s pass that made fans drool.
The 23-year-old has excelled in a deep central midfielder role under Rose, with his vision and technique earning him a first international game for Germany earlier this month.
Both qualities were demonstrated when he set up Hofmann with a sublime, punchy pass that went straight through the Inter defense to put his teammate in goal.
Neuhaus, who has been compared in style to Madrid’s Toni Kroos, already has two goals and two assists this season, completing 87 percent of his passes.
He will face his compatriot on Tuesday night and should enjoy the opportunity to prove that he is the future of Germany’s midfield.
LOVE GREAT GAMES
Some teams can freeze when they go head-to-head with a team of the quality, experience and history of Real Madrid. Monchengladbach is unlikely to be one of them.
The Foals have a solid record when it comes to getting results in the really big games, having won three of their last six meetings with Bayern Germany.
They also beat Roma at home in last season’s Europa League and earned a creditable draw with Manchester City during the 2016-17 season.
Matches against Real Madrid were common during Mönchengladbach’s decade of glory in the 1970s, and they also faced them during the 1980s.
In four games, the Bundesliga team won once, drew twice and suffered only one defeat.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
