Matchday 23 sees Borussia Mönchengladbach take on Hamburg. Are ‘Gladbach serious title contenders or will their fine form run out? Hamburg are looking to cement their place in mid table and put further distance between them and the relegation places.
Lucien Favre’s Borussia Mönchengladbach side has been in tremendous form this season, which has seen them climb to 2nd place in the Bundesliga going into match day 23. Last weekend ‘Gladbach took on 1.FC Kaiserslautern at the Fritz Walter Stadion where they managed to take all three points thanks to two early goals from Patrick Hermann and Juan Arango. However this victory came at a loss when Patrick Hermann broke his collarbone challenging in the air. The absence of Hermann is a blow to Favre’s side as he has been particularly influential in midfield so far this campaign. Lucien Favre commented on the lose of Hermann this week stating,
“ Losing Patrick is a big blow and it’ll obviously alter the balance between defence and attack.”
There are no other injury concerns for ‘Gladbach going into this match with HSV.
Borussia Mönchengladbach have been playing consistently well so far this Rückrunde, much to the surprise of many who believed they would fall out of the title race before this point. With Bayern in such poor form it will be important for ‘Gladbach to continue there fine performances especially if they have serious aspirations to win the title.
Friday nights game against Hamburger SV will be a tough test for ‘Gladbach, as Thorsten Fink has only lost twice in 13 games in charge of this Hamburg side. Matchday 22 saw Fink’s side take on Werder Bremen in the North German Derby, despite having home advantage, and some good form going into the tie, Werder ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. Fink was disappointed with his teams performance and agreed Bremen deserved their victory. However despite this slip up last week, this Hamburg side have been a rejuvenated squad since Finks arrival. The club currently sit 11th place in the league, but the bottom half of the table is so tight that any more poor results could see the club slip down back towards the relegation places.
‘Gladbach will be firm favourites for this game due to their league position, consistent form, and the fact they have arguably the best player in the league within their squad, Marco Reus. However Hamburg could surprise many by taking vital points from the trip to Borussia.
Last 5 Matches
2009/2010 31.10.2009 Hamburger SV Mönchengladbach 2:3
2009/2010 28.03.2010 Mönchengladbach Hamburger SV 1:0
2010/2011 17.12.2010 Mönchengladbach Hamburger SV 1:2
2010/2011 14.05.2011 Hamburger SV Mönchengladbach 1:1
2011/2012 17.09.2011 Hamburger SV Mönchengladbach 0:1
Borussia Mönchengladbach have won the previous meeting between the two sides. Hamburg have however won the majority of the games overall, with 35 wins against ‘Gladbach compared to 30 wins for ‘Gladbach.
Key Battles
Marco Reus vs David Jarolim
Marco Reus has been in fantastic form all season, and since signing a pre-contract agreement with Dortmund has managed to remain focused. Reus will be key for ‘Gladbach especially without Hermann. Jarolim will be tasked with battling Reus in midfield, and he must be able to control Reus in order for Hamburg to get anything from the match.
Dante vs Paolo Guerrero
Dante has been a key figure at the back this season and will be looking to produce another strong performance to give ‘Gladbach a foundation to build from going forward. Guerrero will be the main focus of attack for Hamburg, if he can find space in the ‘Gladbach defence, he has the ability to hurt the home side.
Bundesliga Football Prediction 3:1
