Borussia Monchengladbach will host RB Leipzig at Borussia-Park this Saturday in their quest to secure their first victory of the Bundesliga season.
Match Preview
Currently sitting at 14th place after four matches, Monchengladbach faces a tough challenge as Leipzig occupies third place and is in excellent form.
A win for Leipzig, coupled with favorable results from other matches, could see them climb to the top of the table.
Monchengladbach has struggled at the start of the new season, only managing to gather two points from their opening four Bundesliga games.
However, they showed resilience in their most recent match, claiming a commendable 3-3 draw against SV Darmstadt 98.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Monchengladbach turned the game around with goals from Theoson Siebatcheu, Florian Neuhaus, and Tomas Cvancara.
Coach Gerardo Seoane, who took charge in July, has urged his team to adopt a compact defensive approach against Leipzig’s attacking prowess.
Monchengladbach has a history of success against Leipzig, winning their last three home encounters by an impressive aggregate scoreline of 7-1.
Scoring goals and posing a threat in the final third will be crucial for Monchengladbach, who notably won 3-0 at home against Leipzig last year.
However, they suffered a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture six months later.
Leipzig enters the match on the back of four consecutive victories in all competitions.
They started their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 away win against Young Boys.
Head coach Marco Rose praised his team’s second-half performance in that match and commended their ability to overcome setbacks.
Although Leipzig has struggled in previous visits to Monchengladbach, their overall away form has been impressive, winning six of their last eight away games across all competitions.
They are also a goal-scoring threat, having already netted 19 goals in their opening six games this season.
Team News:
Monchengladbach received a boost with the return of Christoph Kramer and Manu Kone, who have participated in full training sessions after recovering from knee injuries.
They are expected to feature in Saturday’s match. However, Tomas Cvancara, the team’s top scorer with five goals this season, is doubtful due to a foot problem.
Jan Olschowsky will undergo assessment before kickoff due to illness, while Jonas Omlin and Stefan Lainer remain unavailable.
Leipzig will be without Dani Olmo, Willi Orban, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who are all recovering from knee injuries.
Midfielder Amadou Haidara is also out with a calf problem. Coach Rose may make changes to the starting lineup, with the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Timo Werner, and Fabio Carvalho pushing for inclusion.
Predicted Lineups:
Borussia Monchengladbach:
Nicolas
Scally, Elvedi, Itakura, Wober
Weigl, Neuhaus
Honorat, Plea, Ngoumou
Jordan
RB Leipzig:
Blaswich
Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum
Simons, Schlager, Kampl, Forsberg
Werner, Sesko
Prediction:
We predict a 3-1 victory for RB Leipzig in their clash against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Considering the contrasting starts to the season for both teams, Leipzig enters as favorites.
Although Monchengladbach has had success against Leipzig at home in recent years, Leipzig’s current form and goal-scoring ability make them the likely winners at Borussia-Park.