With the international break now behind us, Bundesliga action is set to resume this weekend, and on Saturday afternoon we will see Borussia Monchengladbach play host to FC Heidenheim.
The hosts return to the league with just six points earned in as many matches and in 14th place in the standings, while the visitors have taken nine points over the same period and are ninth.
Match preview
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After spending the majority of last season fending off the drop, early signs this term suggest that Borussia Monchengladbach are going to be right in the thick of the relegation scrap again this campaign.
Die Fohlen suffered a 2-1 away loss to Augsburg ahead of the international break, marking their fourth defeat of the season, while their two victories have come against Union Berlin and basement club Bochum.
The last time M'gladbach conceded four defeats in their opening six league matches was back in 2015-16, and since then, they have only posted fewer points at this stage of the season once, which was last term when they had five points.
One of the major issues the Foals have faced this term has been their poor form in front of goal, having only found the back of the net seven times so far, which is the third-worst tally of any team in the division.
However, in five previous meetings against Heidenheim, Gerardo Seoane's side have never been beaten. They overcame this opponent twice at this venue last season, winning 2-1 in their league encounter and 3-1 in the DFB Pokal last October before drawing 1-1 on the road in March.
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Meanwhile, Heidenheim's first-ever campaign in the top flight was a tremendous success, as they finished the term with 42 points, which saw them earn a spot in the Conference League this season.
However, after bursting out the gate with back-to-back league wins over St Pauli and Augsburg this season, Die Schanzer have now lost three of their last four, including a 1-0 home defeat to RB Leipzig just before the international break.
That record is a notable drop-off for Heidenheim, who had previously lost three games across their last 14 Bundesliga matches, while only Bochum and Hoffenheim have lost as many games over the same period.
Additionally, the visitors have failed to score in two of their last three league games, and have created the third-fewest clear-cut chances in the division with 10, only behind St Pauli (nine) and Union Berlin (eight).
However, Frank Schmidt's side have emerged victorious in three of their last five league away games (W3 D1 L1), which is more than they won across their first 15 top-flight matches last season.
Team News
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Gerardo Seoane has a major injury headache in the goalkeeping department for this match, with Jonas Omlin and Jan Olschowsky out for the foreseeable future, while backup option Moritz Nicolas is now expected to be ruled out due to an illness.
As a result, veteran shot-stopper Tobias Sippel is likely to start between the sticks in this match behind the defensive quartet of Ko Itakura, Nico Elvedi, Joseph Scally and Luca Netz.
The other absentees for the hosts include Nathan N'Goumou (muscle), Simon Walde (knee) and Yvandro Borges Sanches (cruciate ligament injury).
Heidenheim, on the other hand, will have to make do without the services of Niklas Dorsch, who will be serving the second of his three-match ban for the straight red he was shown against Mainz last month.
Joining Dorsch on the sidelines this week will be midfield duo Mathias Honsak and Julian Niehues, both of whom are still on the road to recovery from serious knee injuries.
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sippel; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Netz; Sander, Weigl; Plea, Stoger, Cvancara; Kleindienst
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Busch, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Maloney, Schoppner; Traore, Wanner, Scienza; Pieringer
We say: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-2 Heidenheim
While M'gladbach have only won one of their three home games this season, it is worth noting that the defeats they conceded were against Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart, and they more than held their own in both those matches.
Still, Heidenheim have done their best work on the road this season, losing only once in five outings across all competitions, and we feel they will be able to get something from this one as well.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
