VfL Bochum will be looking to vacate the dreaded relegation playoff spot when they take on Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia-Park on Saturday afternoon.
With four games remaining, the Bundesliga strugglers find themselves inside the bottom three on goal difference, while Gladbach sit eight points above in 10th place.
Match preview
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Borussia Monchengladbach enter Saturday's clash on a three-match winless run, having taken a solitary point from a possible nine since defeating Wolfsburg back in early April.
Following a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, the Foals suffered a 1-0 defeat to high-flying Union Berlin before losing 2-1 at relegation strugglers Stuttgart last time out, with Ko Itakura's red card leading to a late penalty for the hosts.
When you look at the bigger picture, Gladbach have managed to win just one of their previous nine Bundesliga matches, recording four draws and four defeats in the process.
That said, Daniel Farke's men have enjoyed plenty of success on home soil in recent times, losing only one of their last six league encounters at Borussia-Park while keeping clean sheets against Schalke 04, Freiburg and Wolfsburg.
Having lost just four of their 15 home league games this season – securing eight victories along the way – Borussia MG will be confident of picking up another positive result in front of their fans this weekend.
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On the flip side, VfL Bochum head to Borussia-Park on the back of an impressive 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund, despite seeing only 33% of the ball while facing 22 shots against the title hopefuls.
Anthony Losilla gave Bochum a shock lead after five minutes before Karim Adeyemi equalised for Dortmund two minutes later, but Die Unabsteigbaren managed to weather the storm and come away with a precious point.
Indeed, every point is precious for Bochum at this stage in the season, as Thomas Letsch's men find themselves in the bottom three on goal difference with only four matches remaining.
Bochum can have no complaints about their current position, though, as they have failed to win any of their last five games, recording three draws and two losses, with two wins coming in their previous 11 outings.
It is also worth remembering that Die Unabsteigbaren possess the worst defensive record in the division, having conceded 67 goals in 30 games, while only relegation rivals Schalke have scored fewer goals than Bochum's 33 this term.
Team News
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Borussia Monchengladbach will have to make do without key forward Marcus Thuram for the foreseeable future as he recovers from a muscle injury, so the Frenchman will not be able to enhance his tally of 16 goals and six assists this weekend.
Thuram joins Kouadio Kone, Yvandro Borges Sanches and Ramy Bensebaini on Gladbach's injury list, while Ko Itakura is suspended after picking up a red card last time out.
Alassane Plea will continue to lead the line for the hosts, with experienced winger Jonas Hofmann – who has notched 11 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season – offering attacking support to the lone striker.
As for Bochum, midfielder Philipp Forster looks set to miss the remainder of the campaign with an Achilles tendon injury, while backup goalkeeper Marko Johansson remains sidelined due to a muscle issue.
After scoring against Dortmund last time out, Anthony Losilla will keep his place in midfield alongside Patrick Osterhage, with Ivan Ordets and Erhan Masovic lining up at centre-back.
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Omlin; Lainer, Friedrich, Elvedi, Netz; Weigl, Neuhaus; Ngoumou, Hofmann, Stindl; Plea
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Gamboa, Ordets, Masovic, Soares; Losilla, Osterhage; Asano, Stoger, Antwi-Adjei; Hofmann
We say: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 VfL Bochum
Given that Bochum have found the back of the net in each of their last seven games, the visitors are expected to give Borussia MG a run for their money as they aim to steer clear of relegation trouble.
Still, Gladbach should have enough quality to secure a ninth home league victory of the season at the expense of Bochum, whose winless run looks set to continue.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
