B. Monchengladbach – Heidenheim : Preview & Prediction
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s disappointing start to the Bundesliga campaign continued with a 3-1 defeat in the Rhine derby against Cologne the previous Sunday, and after just one league win this season (E3, P4), they occupy a disappointing position in the bottom half of the table. It’s still early in the season, but the major overhaul of their squad and the appointment of Gerardo Seoane have yet to have the desired effect.
Everyone at the club will be hoping that this Saturday marks the start of a turnaround in fortunes when they face newly promoted Heidenheim in their first league meeting with each other as they look for their first home win of this Bundesliga season (E1, P3). Even that draw came courtesy of an 88th minute goal, but Gladbach have not had it easy, having already hosted Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, all of whom are participating in European competition this season.
Heidenheim had the wheels fall off in their last game as they built a 2-0 lead against Augsburg after 20 minutes but lost 5-2 in what is tied as their heaviest Bundesliga defeat. However, picking up seven points (G2, E1, P5) from their first eight top-flight games is still a decent effort, leaving them one point ahead of their hosts, who won on penalties in their only previous official clash in 2011.
Frank Schmidt, Heidenheim’s veteran coach, was in charge on the day, and would probably welcome another draw in regulation time given that Heidenheim have only earned one point away from home this season (E1, P3), in a 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund. Having conceded first in all four away games, three times before the tenth minute, Schmidt must emphasize the importance of getting off to a good start in this engagement.
Players to watch: Florian Neuhaus opened the scoring between the 20th and 30th minutes in two of Gladbach’s last three games. Heidenheim’s Jan-Niklas Beste, who has scored two goals in his last three appearances, while two of his last three goals came last in their respective fixtures, will look to surpass him.
Weekend stat: Heidenheim have gone into halftime scoreless in each of their four away league games so far this season.
B. Monchengladbach – Heidenheim : Betting Tips
B. Monchengladbach – Win Odds: 1.80
