How do Guirassy and Kleindienst compare? | OneFootball

How do Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy and Borussia Mönchengladbach's Tim Kleindienst compare?

As Borussias Dortmund and Mönchengladbach meet at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday in an encounter that could have huge implications on the battle for Europe, two of the Bundesliga’s sharpest shooters will face off. Serhou Guirassy and Tim Kleindienst both have the ability to decide the outcome, as bundesliga.com explains...

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With just five games of the campaign remaining, points are more crucial than ever, and both Dortmund and Gladbach will be desperate to pick up all three on Matchday 30. Gladbach are just four points adrift of the top four, after all, with BVB only two further back – a victory for either would give them real impetus heading into the final quartet of fixtures.

And it may be the centre-forwards who play a pivotal role in the result. It has been a mixed campaign for Dortmund, who would have hoped to have been well-ensconced in the top four by this point, but Guirassy has been one of their leading lights throughout.

The Guinean exited the Champions League this past week with a tournament-leading 13 strikes, bowing out with a hat-trick against quarter-final opponents Barcelona. In the Bundesliga, meanwhile, only Harry Kane and Patrik Schick have scored more than his 15 goals.

His four-goal salvo against Union Berlin was the obvious highlight – a display that led head coach Niko Kovač to label him “world-class” - but there have been important goals against Freiburg, St. Pauli and RB Leipzig along the way as well.

While not quite as prolific as his 28-goal haul with VfB Stuttgart in 2024/25, Guirassy has provided a regular flow of crucial moments and, with five big games to come between now and the end of the Bundesliga season, Kovač will hope he can be his clinical best in the final third.

The Guinean will no doubt keep the Gladbach defenders busy throughout on Matchday 30, but in Kleindienst, the Foals have their own striker who continues to go from strength to strength. It is hard not to be impressed with how he has adapted to life at Borussia-Park following his summer switch from Heidenheim, which only increased expectations and scrutiny.

Overall, Gladbach have improved as the season has progressed, but Kleindienst hit the ground running and has never dipped since. He has found the back of the net in 14 different league games this term, more than half the matches he has played, and he too struck in big games against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen (twice), Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Kleindienst’s height – he stands at 6’4” - gives him a real aerial advantage, as shown by the fact that only Bochum's Philipp Hofmann (164) has won more aerial duels than the 29-year-old (130) in the Bundesliga in 2024/25. Still, reducing his game to solely being a threat in the air would not do him justice. He has shown his ability to bring others into play, picking up five assists, including three in the 4-1 victory over Werder Bremen.

His journey to the top has not been a straightforward one, which means he knows just how much hard work is required to compete amongst the elite. Despite this being his first campaign at Gladbach, he wore the captain’s armband in the 4-1 triumph over Holstein Kiel. His experience and leadership, clearly, have not gone unnoticed by head coach Gerardo Seoane.

“He brings an element to the table that is hard to find. He also brings a lot to the table in terms of personality and is always a leader. On a day-to-day basis, in the dressing room and in training, he has a clear, direct approach,” the Swiss said earlier in the season.

Now a fully fledged Germany international with four goals in six games, Kleindienst is on course to lead the line for Die Nationalelf at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, should they qualify. Some achievement for a player who, just 24 months ago, was playing in the second tier.

Both Guirassy and Kleindienst will have reason to believe they will have the upper hand at the weekend. Whoever comes out on top may well put their side on course for the Champions League – a worthy platform for their respective goalscoring talents.

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