Facts and stats ahead of #BMGInter

Everything you need to know ahead of the Foals’ Champions League home game against Inter Milan on Tuesday night (21:00 CET).

Fans

• From 2nd November, the German government agreed with each state that professional sports events would have to take place without fans until at least the end of November. That is part of a package of measures introduced in reaction to the exponential increase in coronavirus cases. The home game against Inter will therefore be behind closed doors.

Head-to-head record

• Borussia and Inter Milan have met on five occasions in competitive football so far, with both sides winning one game each, plus three draws – including the 2-2 in the reverse fixture on matchday 1 of this season’s Champions League.
• The two sides faced off in the last 16 of the 1971/72 European Cup. Inter progressed after a 4-2 win in Milan and a 0-0 draw in Germany.
• The 0-0 was actually a replayed match after the Foals originally won the first leg 7-1 in Milan. Inter player Roberto Boninsegna was hit by a Coca-Cola can in the 29th minute and was carried off the pitch, later being deemed unfit to return to the field. Inter later successfully won an appeal to annul the game.
• The Foals and Inter then met in the second round of the 1979/80 UEFA Cup. The first leg at the Bökelberg ended 1-1, before Gladbach won 3-2 (a.e.t.) in Milan. Borussia went all the way to the final that season, eventually losing out to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Statistics

• Borussia are top of group B after four matchdays and could reach the round of 16 for the first time in club history. A draw would be enough for the Foals should Shakhtar fail to beat Real Madrid at home in the early kick-off.
• The Foals are one point ahead of Real Madrid with eight points on the board so far. Shakhtar (4) and Inter (2) could both be eliminated after matchday 5, with Inter in desperate need of three points to avoid an early exit.
• This is Gladbach’s third appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stages. Both previous campaigns saw the Foals exit at this stage. The debut season ended in a fourth-placed finish, while Borussia finished third 12 months later and ended up in the UEFA Europa League, eventually going out to Schalke in the round of 16 (1-1 A, 2-2 H).
• Gladbach have won four of their last seven European games (D2, L1). Across the last 17 matches, however, the Foals have only recorded five wins (D8, L4).
• The 4-0 win over Shakhtar last time out was only Gladbach’s second home win across the last 10 European home matches (D4, L4).
• The Foals are now on a four-game unbeaten run against Italian sides (W2, D2).
• Gladbach's home record against Serie A teams reads three wins, five draws and one defeat.
• Antonio Conte’s side took two points from their first two Champions League group games this term (2-2 vs. Borussia, 0-0 vs. Shakhtar), but have lost their last two against Real Madrid (3-2 A, 2-0 H).
• Inter, who finished second in last season’s Serie A, are the last Italian side to win the UEFA Champions League. They won the title in 2010 – their third European Cup in club history.
• Inter have failed to reach the knockout stages in their last two UEFA Champions League campaigns. They finished third in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, having previously reached the round of 16 on nine consecutive occasions.
• Inter have only won two of their last 14 UEFA Champions League games (D5, L7).
• A 3-1 win over Slavia Prague on matchday 5 last season is Inter’s only win in their last seven Champions League games on the road (D1, L5).

Referee

• Tomorrow’s referee will be Danny Makkelie from the Netherlands. The 37-year-old police officer has been a FIFA referee since 2011 and has taken charge of 33 UEFA Champions League games so far.
• Makkelie officiated Gladbach’s 4-2 defeat to Manchester City in 2015/16. Julian Korb equalised after 19 minutes, before Raffael actually put Borussia ahead on the stroke of half time (43’).
• Makkelie’s assistants on Tuesday night will be his compatriots Mario Diks and Hessel Steegstra. The fourth official is Ivan Kruzliak from Slovakia, while Dutchman Kevin Blom is on VAR duty.

Social Media

• Fans can follow the game with the hashtag #BMGInter or by following Borussia’s English-language social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.