There can only be one true Borussia...

...and for every Gladbachfan who actually dares to state something different, let me tell you: it is not you.

It has been a few crazy weeks in the Bundesliga so far. After our march through last season, noone expected us to do the same this year again. And when we stumbled against Hertha and Hannover for a bit, people in the media and elsewhere already figured that we would face the same fate Stuttgart, Bremen and Wolfsburg had to face after their Championship season and that Bayern would march through to the German Championship without the slightest hints of problems. Then came our so called week of truth and suddenly everything changed. When we look at the table now, a huge smile spreads across our faces. On the poleposition? Our Borussia from Dortmund. The one, true and only Borussia there will ever be. (Keep that in mind Gladbachfans) And Bayern Munich? Most certainly, if you believe what a few random people have to say, they belong at the top of the table. However, position three is where you can find them on the table. Wait a secod, three? As in: not first, not second, but third? Who is ranking second then?
And here comes one of the biggest surprises of this season. Of course we all remember last season. But while we were basically dancing our way through the other teams' defenses, way up to the top, one other team was being handed down all the way to the bottom of the table. The false Borussia from Gladbach. By the time February had come, noone believed in Gladbach staying in the first Bundesliga anymore. It was only a matter of who the other descendant would be. But then Lucien Favre came and all of the sudden Gladbach was turning this thing around. The result of that? The relegation spot of the table by the end of the season. Two victories against our neighbour from Bochum, who came in third in the second Bundesliga, secured Gladbach their "first class stay" and the chance to do better the following season. But who had actually expected them to do this well?

Currently ranking on position two, with the same amount of points gained, but less goals scored than us, Gladbach is one of the biggest surprises of the season. So on this Saturday the game between Gladbach and Dortmund is a special one for many reasons. It is the game between the current two best teams in Germany, it is the game between the true and the false Borussia, and to be honest? They do play great football at the moment, but I don't like them, they simply spoilt it for us too many times before. Don't we all remember the bitter end in Klopp's first year for Dortmund? Only the sound of their goal melody makes me mad again. So let's make sure that it is going to be us singing the "döp, döp, döp" this Saturday.

Gladbach is a strong team at the moment, in Lucien Favre they seem to have found a coach that knows how to bring out the best in this team. In Reus (yes, we do remember the old days...) they found a striker who is right on form and even that former blue and white/car-team guy named Hanke manages to score every once in a while. So our defense should be right on spot, but then again? Do we seriously have any doubts in that? No, and let's see how Reus will get along with his broken toe. It must be good for something.
Since Moritz Leitner is in question there might be a change of system or a chance for Gündogan to come in, if Leitner won't manage to play.

Come on dear Borussia from Dortmund. We like it up there in the table, please run and fight and play like you always do, there will be thousand of Dortmundfans supporting you right there in the stadium. Give your best, we will give ours and I am sure together we will take those three points home!

Possible Line-Up and Stats

False Borussia: ter Stegen - Jantschke, Stranzl, Dante, Daems - Nordtveit, Neustädter - Herrmann, Arango - Reus, Hanke

Substitutes: Blaswich, Heimeroth, Brouwers, Wendt, M. Zimmermann, Korb, Marx, Otsu, Rupp, Bobadilla, de Camargo, Leckie

The one and only Borussia: Weidenfeller - Piszczek, Felipe Santana, Hummels, Schmelzer - Leitner, Kehl - Blaszczykowski, Lewandowski, M. Götze - Barrios

Substitutes: Langerak, Hornschuh, Löwe, Owomoyela, da Silva, Großkreutz, Gündogan, Kagawa, Perisic, Zidan

Referee: Zwayer (Berlin)

Where? Borussen-Park, a stadium which appears to be at the end of the world

Ida, 02.12.2011

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