Monchengladbach surprisingly leading Real Madrid and Inter Milan in UCL

Borussia Monchengladbach had only managed to score 13 goals in their two previous Champions League campaigns combined.

This time around, in a group few people gave them much hope of getting out of, they've netted 14 times - and counting.

Drawn together with the might of Real Madrid and Inter Milan, plus tricky customers and Champions League old hands Shakhtar Donetsk, most predicted third place and the Europa League post-Christmas for Die Fohlen, at best.

But Marco Rose's side currently top Group B and remain unbeaten after four of their six games. Eight points are already in the bag and their goal difference is a stonking +10, if it came down to it.

Real and especially Inter have been left trailing in their wake, while the German side have made Shakhtar their whipping boys after thumping them 6-0 in Ukraine and 4-0 at the Borussia-Park.

And before anyone speaks of Shakhtar being weak, let's not forget they beat Real 3-2  on matchday one. That fact certainly puts Gladbach's goal rampages into positive perspective.

Prior to that, Rose's team were more than a match for the supposed big guns in the group. They came within seconds of winning in the San Siro before Romelu Lukaku snatched Inter a barely-deserved 2-2 draw.

And they came even closer to victory over Real Madrid before Casemiro made it 2-2 in the third minute of stoppage time.

If Borussia had just held their nerve and concentration for a few more moments in both those games, they'd be home and dry.

As it is, a win at home to Inter next Tuesday will take them into the Champions League knockout stages for the first time ever. With Antonio Conte's side flailing, there's every chance Borussia will get the job done before they head to Madrid on matchday six.

The vibrancy of Gladbach's football, especially in attack, will come as no revelation to regular watchers of the Bundesliga.

Rose was brought in to replace Dieter Hecking after the club narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification at the end of 2018-19 and there was an immediate bounce.

Reinvesting the £23million received from Borussia Dortmund for Thorgan Hazard, they brought in Swiss striker Breel Embolo from Schalke and fellow attacker Marcus Thuram from Guingamp.

By the start of October, they topped the Bundesliga and remained there almost until the winter break, beating Bayern Munich 2-1 along the way.

Gravity eventually caught up with them and they slipped, as everyone expected, below Bayern, Dortmund and RB Leipzig, ultimately making sure of fourth spot ahead of Bayer Leverkusen on the last day.

Nonetheless, the performances of Rose's team were refreshing and earned many plaudits. They've now taken the next step and are producing on the European stage, even if their early Bundesliga form remains patchy.

Thuram, Lars Stindl and Alassane Plea, three parts of their exciting attack, have just continued where they left off last season and Rose will hope Embolo's first of the season - an eye-catching overhead kick - against Shakhtar will kick-start his campaign.

Plea had proved unplayable away to Donetsk, scoring three and setting up another, and there will be satisfaction that others stepped up when the Frenchman started on the bench in the 4-0 home win.

Thuram may be the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian but is making his own name in the game. He scored both goals in the draw with Real - a classy first-time finish after an ambush in midfield to retrieve possession and a poacher's close-range finish after Thibaut Courtois spilled - off the back of 14 last season.

The long-serving captain Stindl, 32, currently tops the club scoring charts with six having scored home and away against Shakhtar and is already over halfway towards last season's total of 11 goals.

Then there's the success story of Jonas Hofmann, a bit-part player with Dortmund until the age of 25, but now fulfilling his potential at Gladbach playing either out wide or as a No 10.

His performances have reached such a consistently high level, Joachim Low played him off the bench in Germany's recent friendlies against Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Hofmann was the coolest man in the San Siro when he scored through the legs of Samir Handanovic on matchday one after being found by a brilliant slide rule pass from Florian Neuhaus.

Indeed, brilliant assists have become a theme for Gladbach, with Thuram profiting from Plea's inviting cross against Real.

So while there's plenty of firepower on offer, they do need to tighten up at the back.

They've kept just the one clean sheet in the Bundesliga so far this season and have been leaky against the teams they'd expect to be challenging for the top four come May, like Dortmund (0-3) and Leverkusen (3-4).

But far from being daunted by being placed alongside such illustrious names in a Champions League group, Gladbach have come out fighting. And at least one of Real or Inter look set to be knocked out.