Do the Eisernen finally plunge the Foals into a crisis?
Borussia Mönchengladbach have won just one of their last eight competitive games (one draw, six defeats). Not only have the Foals slipped down to twelfth place in the Bundesliga table, but they also failed miserably in the DFB Cup with a 3-0 defeat at second-division Hannover 96 during the week. Accordingly, the team from the Lower Rhine is in a very bad mood these days.
Now, of all times, the Eisernen are coming to Borussia-Park as a team that is difficult to beat. The team from Köpenick has only lost four league games and thus has the second fewest defeats of all 18 Bundesliga teams. It is therefore surprising that the odds in the run-up to the match between Gladbach and Union Berlin are swinging in the direction of the Foals.
After all, the Eisernen just celebrated another milestone during the week after ending Hoffenheim’s seven-match unbeaten streak at the weekend. Union prevailed 3-2 at city rivals Hertha and achieved what was actually already firmly planned in Mönchengladbach: the DFB Cup quarter-finals.
The capital city team will travel to Borussia Park full of self-confidence, where they could plunge the Foals, who are completely out of their depth, into a crisis. Accordingly, there is a lot of value to be found in betting on an away win for the Ironmen in Gladbach against Union Berlin.
Gladbach – Statistics & current form
Borussia Mönchengladbach are currently experiencing a tangible crisis. The Foals actually secured the services of Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter last summer in order to launch an attack on the international starting positions again – ideally, of course, on the Champions League.
However, everyday life is completely different for the team from the Lower Rhine. Instead of returning to the top third after a mixed year that ended in eighth place, the Foals only picked up 22 points from their first 19 league games. That equates to their worst haul in eleven years.
Six defeats in last eight competitive games
However, there have also been some bright spots in the course of the season so far. One of them was undoubtedly the 5:0 victory over Bayern in the 2nd round of the DFB Pokal. A triumph for which the Foals can buy nothing at all.
In the competition, which Gladbach has won three times in 1960, 1973 and 1995, Borussia suffered a crushing 3-0 away defeat at Hannover 96 during the week. It was the sixth match in the last eight that the team had lost.
The third most goals conceded in the Bundesliga
In addition to the defensive vulnerability, which has already resulted in 35 goals conceded – the third-worst figure in the Bundesliga – the current lack of penetrative attacking play is a particular problem. In the recent 2-1 defeat against Leverkusen, Borussia had an “expected goals” value of 5.5, but scored only one goal.
Against this backdrop, it is also surprising that the Foals are favourites going into the home game against the visitors from the capital, who have only been defeated four times at national level in the 2021/22 season.
Predicted line-up of Gladbach:
Sommer – Jantschke – Elvedi – Friedrich – Scally – Lainer – Benes – Koné – Stindl – Neuhaus – Embolo
Last matches played by Gladbach:
DFB Cup
01/19 2022 – Hannover 96 3 – 0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 – 2 Bayer Leverkusen
Friendly club matches
01/08 2022 – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 – 3 Viktoria Koeln 1904
1st Bundesliga
01/07 2022 – Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
12/18 2021 – Hoffenheim 1 – 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Union Berlin – Statistics & current form
In the 2021/22 season, 1. FC Union Berlin continues where the Eisernen left off in the last two seasons. After staying in the relegation zone in the first season, all the experts predicted that there would be a pure relegation battle following the departures of key players. The Köpenicker, on the other hand, made it into the Conference League.
Now, many experts predicted that the club from East Berlin would suffer from the double burden. After 19 league games, however, the team has 31 points, the best haul ever in Union’s short history in the Bundesliga.
Fifth in the standings and DFB Cup quarter-finalists
Fifth in the table, the Köpenickers can even dream of playing in the Europa League next season. Added to this is the strong performance in the DFB Pokal, when city rivals Hertha were eliminated 3:2 away at the Olympiastadion.
Of all four Bundesliga teams in the quarter-finals, the Eisernen are the team with the best points tally of the 2021/22 season.
Not lost in five consecutive competitive matches
The Eisernen’s chest is correspondingly broad, having not lost any of their last five competitive games (three wins, two draws) and coming to Borussia-Park with a correspondingly high level of confidence.
Gladbach’s next win against Union Berlin is also a good bet because the capital city side have scored at least one goal in each of their five Bundesliga encounters with the Foals. If the defence is stable once again, the Fischer eleven could actually complete a perfect week on Saturday.
Predicted line-up of Union Berlin:
Luthe – Heintz – Knoche – Jaeckel – Oczipka – Khedira – Trimmel – Prömel – Haraguchi – Kruse – Voglsammer
Last matches played by Union Berlin:
DFB Cup
01/19 2022 – Hertha Berlin 2 – 3 Union Berlin
1st Bundesliga
01/15 2022 – Union Berlin 2 – 1 Hoffenheim
01/08 2022 – Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 2 Union Berlin
12/18 2021 – Vfl Bochum 0 – 1 Union Berlin
12/15 2021 – Union Berlin 0 – 0 SC Freiburg
Gladbach – Union Berlin Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 2 – 1 – 2
Five times both teams have faced each other in the Bundesliga so far and the record is still even with two wins each. In the first leg, the Eisernen won 2-1 at home against the Foals on 29 August 2021.
Gladbach – Union Berlin Tip
When it comes to Gladbach against Union Berlin, the prediction has to take into account that the guests from the capital have their great strength in their own stadium. Away from home, the Eisernen have only celebrated two victories in nine league matches. In view of their cup win at Hertha, however, these figures do not play much of a role at the weekend, especially as Borussia are deep in a crisis of form with six defeats in their last eight competitive matches and most recently presented themselves completely anaemic in the cup against a mediocre second-division side.
Accordingly, the bet on an away win for the Ironmen is a good one to play, especially as the Foals have completely lost their home strength in league play and have lost all of their last three games at Borussia-Park.
