Three key battles as Bayern Munich host Borussia Monchengladbach

3 of 4

Alassane Plea, Borussia Monchengladbach and Jerome Boateng, Niklas Sule, Bayern Munich. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Jerome Boateng vs Alassane Plea

Thuram has been sensational for Monchengladbach. However, he has been very well supported by Alassane Plea in the final third. Along with combining well with Thuram, Plea has been a big goal threat for Monchengladbach this season, scoring ten goals in Bundesliga.

Plea often drops deep to get the ball and spray it to the wingers making runs on the flank or in the box. His hold up play makes him an ideal number nine for a team having prolific wingers. Plea also has ten assists to his name in the Bundesliga. (Stats courtesy:Whoscored)

More from Bayern Strikes

Jerome Boateng will be the key opponent for Plea on Saturday. The German defender has been enjoying a good run of form under Flick, keeping Lucas Hernandez out of the team. He has rediscovered his best form, and Flick’s setup also helps in masking of weakness in his game.

Boateng will need astute decision making to keep Plea quiet at Allianz Arena. He will have to make sure that he doesn’t remain too tight when Plea drops deep. Remaining too close to Plea when he drops deep will leave vacant spaces behind Boateng for the wide players to exploit. Moreover, he cannot afford to give Plea a lot of time and space to dictate terms in the final third. A perfect mix of caution and aggression will help Boateng to nullify Plea’s threat.