Gladbach vs. Freiburg preview: A mid-table battle
Two mid-table teams go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon when 12th-placed Gladbach host 9th-placed Freiburg at Borussia-Park.
| Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Gladbach
Despite an attractive schedule, Gladbach drew their last three Bundesliga games before the international break and will be hoping to return to winning ways on home soil against Freiburg.
However, their recent record points to another draw, as the two teams have shared the spoils in their last four head-to-head encounters. The last time the two sides met was in Freiburg in November, when they played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Captain Jonas Omlin, finally back to full fitness after a long spell on the sidelines, is expected to return in goal at the expense of Moritz Nicolas. With 50 goals conceded this season, Gladbach will be hoping his return will give them some much-needed defensive stability.
In attack, Robin Hack was in scintillating form before the international break, scoring four goals in his last three games in all competitions, and the Fohlen will be hoping for more of the same from the striker.
Team News
Gladbach will be without Manu Koné, Tamas Cvancara, Nathan Ngoumou and Alassane Plea due to injuries.
Freiburg
Not long before the international break, long-time Freiburg coach Christian Streich made headlines when he announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the season.
The Breisgau outfit, who currently sit in ninth place in the Bundesliga, will now be looking to finish the season on a high and end Streich's long reign in style.
A European spot is still possible, with Freiburg sitting seven points behind sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, but Streich's side will need to show more consistency in the closing stages of the season if they are to achieve that.
Freiburg lost their last two games before the international break, a 5-0 defeat to West Ham in the Europa League and a 3-2 loss to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, and will be determined to avoid a third successive defeat.
Team News
In addition to long-term absentees Kenneth Schmidt and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Matthias Ginter is ruled out. Philipp Lienhart and Roland Sallai are both doubtful.