Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. 1. FC Heidenheim preview: Rejuvenated Foals host favorite opponents
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Borussia Mönchengladbach host Heidenheim in one of the first games after Bundesliga’s return from the international break. The visitors are edging closer to relegation in their third top-flight season, while Gladbach revived their survival chances in recent weeks.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
While Köln’s Lukas Kwasniok has been relieved of his duties after the 3-3 draw against Gladbach, their neighbors are relatively relaxed ahead of the final two months of the season.
Gladbach could go three games unbeaten for the first time in 2026 when they host Heidenheim on Saturday. Eugen Polanski’s side are currently five points adrift of the relegation playoff place.
Team News
Jens Castrop, who has scored a brace in the derby before the international break, is a minor doubt for Gladbach due to a foot injury. Kōta Takai is also in the race with time to return to full fitness, while it’s too early for Tim Kleindienst, Robin Hack, and Nathan Ngoumou.
Heidenheim
The 3-3 draw with Bayer Leverkusen extended Heidenheim’s winless streak to 14 games, but scoring three in back-to-back home encounters against Champions League chasers boosted morale for Frank Schmidt’s side.
However, the battle to avoid the drop seems to have been over a long time ago. With only seven rounds left to play, Heidenheim are nine points behind St. Pauli, who will compete in the playoff if they stay in 16th place.
Team News
Bayern loanee Arjon Ibrahimovic could be promoted back to the starting lineup in the absence of the suspended Jan Schöppner.
Head-to-Head record
Including two DFB-Pokal ties, the two teams have previously met on seven occasions. The 1-1 draw at Voith-Arena in Heidenheim’s debut Bundesliga campaign remained the only time Gladbach failed to come out victorious.
Goals from three summer signings – Kevin Diks, Haris Tabakovic, and Shuto Machino – secured a comfortable win for Eugen Polanski’s side in the reverse fixture.
Predicted Lineups
Gladbach: Nicolas; Sander, Elvedi, Diks; Reitz ©, Engelhardt; Scally, Castrop; Honorat, Stöger; Tabakovic
Heidenheim: Ramaj; Busch, Gimber, Mainka ©, Behrens; Kerber, Dorsch, Ibrahimovic; Dinkci, Pieringer, Conteh
