Bundesliga: Favre needs a win in battle of the Borussias

Borussia Mönchengladbach make the short journey northwest to Dortmund flying high as the Bundesliga leaders, a position they've not held outright for 35 years.

Marco Rose has established a new, high-energy philosophy that his players have responded quickly to, with a record of five wins, one draw and one defeat from their opening seven games.

Only two points separate the top seven though, so things can change quickly, but Dortmund find themselves outside of that top group and struggling to find their rhythm in what has been a less than convincing start to the season.

Three 2-2 draws in succession in the league — Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen and then Freiburg — tell their own story, but a failure to hold on to a 2-1 lead in each of those games points to a fragility that falls short of what is required to win the Bundesliga. Dortmund are by no means out of it, but a first league win since September 14 is the requirement for Lucien Favre's men.

Favre's position as head coach hasn't been called into question given the steady improvement the side has made under his tutelage, and having come close to ending their long wait for a Bundesliga title last season.

Watzke drops Klopp bomb

Revelations made by Hans-Joachim Watzke in his newly released biography that Dortmund made an attempt to bring back Jürgen Klopp as coach in the summer of 2018 have undermined Favre's position somewhat, adding more pressure on the coach during this barren spell.

Former Dortmund and Germany defender Jürgen Kohler described the timing of Watzke's remarks as "difficult" and that such comments undermine Favre's authority.

"The timing of the book publication is difficult," Kohler told German football weekly Sportbild. "Borussia have so far not played at their best. Watzke certainly did not do it deliberately, but unconsciously he harms his own coach."

While Watzke's comments are out there already, a victory at home against the surprise league leaders — and Favre's former club — would quell any suggestion of dissatisfaction with the head coach and would push Dortmund back towards the top end of the table.

But with the other Borussia looking for their fifth straight league win, Favre and Dortmund could hardly wish for a trickier task than to get one over the in-form Foals.