Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Inter, five things you need to know | VIDEO

The Champions League is back, with Inter set to take on Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Borussia Park on matchday five in Group B. It’s a crucial fixture that will kick off at 21:00 CET on Tuesday 1 December.

DÜSSELDORF AND GERMANY, FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS During the summer, Inter stayed in Düsseldorf for several days during their Europa League adventure, a city close to Mönchengladbach, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border. Gladbach said goodbye to the historic Bökelbergstadion in 2004, when the Borussia Park opened.

THE NERAZZURRI’S PREVIOUS MATCHES ON GERMAN SOIL Inter have played 24 matches in Europe on German soil, with the Nerazzurri’s record reading as follows: six wins, eight draws, ten defeats. Particularly memorable are their wins against Bayern Munich in 1988 (Berti’s wonderful solo effort) and 2011 (when Pandev scored the decisive goal), plus the victory achieved away to Borussia Dortmund in 1994.

INTER VS. BORUSSIA, AN ANCIENT RIVALRY The last encounter between the sides in Mönchengladbach was in 1979, with Altobelli getting on the scoresheet for Inter in a 1-1 draw. The most famous showdown in the German city was the “match of the tin can”, which we looked back on here.

PLAYERS WHO HAVE PLAYED FOR BOTH SIDES A certain Lothar Matthäus began his career at Borussia Mönchengladbach, scoring 32 goals in 162 appearances for the German side between 1979 and 1984 prior to his move to Bayern Munich. Two other players who have worn both the Inter and Gladbach shirts are Thomas Helveg and Valentino Lazaro, the latter of whom is currently part of Marco Rose’s squad.

THE SITUATION IN GROUP B Borussia currently sit top of Group B on eight points, one ahead of second-place Real Madrid. Shakhtar Donetsk are in third with four points, two ahead of Inter in fourth. However, the Nerazzurri can still mathematically qualify: they need to win both of their next two fixtures (against Gladbach and Shakhtar) and hope for one of the following two scenarios:

- Real Madrid beat Gladbach on the final matchday

or

- Real Madrid lose both of their next two fixtures (against Shakhtar and Borussia).