Darmstadt vs. Gladbach preview: Two sides searching for first win
Darmstadt and Borussia Mönchengladbach will both have aspirations of claiming their first win of the Bundesliga season when they meet at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on Sunday.
Darmstadt
After ending their five-year wait for top-flight football, Darmstadt have struggled to readjust to the demands of the Bundesliga, with their opening three league games all ending in defeat. The campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, before they were hammered 4-1 by Union Berlin on matchday two.
Unfortunately for die Lilien, another heavy loss followed against Bayer Leverkusen, who cruised to a commanding 5-1 victory. As a result, Darmstadt are currently propping up the Bundesliga table as the only side yet to pick up a point this season. After shipping 11 goals in three games, Sunday’s visitors have also conceded more goals than any other team in the top-flight, highlighting a key area for improvement.
Torsten Lieberknecht will also want his team to offer a greater threat at the opposite end of the pitch after mustering just two league goals this season. With the hosts desperate to claim their first points of the season, they can take confidence from the fact they beat Gladbach in the second round of the DFB-Pokal last season.
Team News
The hosts are unable to call upon the services of Fraser Hornby, Braydon Manu, Fabio Torsiello and Christoph Zimmermann.
Gladbach
Gerardo Seoane has endured a difficult start to his tenure as Gladbach boss despite winning 7-0 in his opening game against Bersenbrück in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. After playing out an entertaining 4-4 draw against Augsburg in their first league match of the season, Gladbach have gone on to lose back-to-back games against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
Die Fohlen took the lead in their most recent outing against Bayern, but they ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat, leaving them with just one point to show for their opening three games. Having conceded nine goals in their first three matches, Gladbach know they need to improve defensively if they are to move away from the bottom three.
While a meeting with a newly-promoted side represents a golden opportunity to pick up a victory, Gladbach’s recent away record suggests claiming all three points could prove difficult. Since beating Hoffenheim 4-1 in January, Gladbach have gone nine away league games without a win, conceding at least two goals in seven of those matches.
Team News
Manu Koné, Christoph Kramer, Stefan Lainer and Jonas Omlin are all ruled out for Sunday's contest. There are also doubts over the availability of Luca Netz and Jan Olschowsky.