Mönchengladbach's Mannschaft Marches On
At 14:30 on Saturday Borussia Mönchengladbach will host Hertha Berlin at the Borussia-Park in North Rhine-Westphalia. Mönchengladbach currently sit second in the Bundesliga and enjoy the best form at home this season. Hertha Berlin are by no means bad, but they are a team that lack any real stars and rarely challenge the bigger teams. I think Borussia Mönchengladbach will dominate this match.
Mönchengladbach
It's on the road that Borussia Mönchengladbach have dropped points this season. If they could play as well away as they do at home then they would, without a doubt, be first in the table. But, in recent weeks their away form has picked up a bit; if this continues then they could be looking at winning the Bundesliga this year. They won their last away match against Schalke 0-2.
At home they've won every match they have played with a goal difference of 25-3!
They usually win their matches by some margin, and rarely concede any goals. In six of their nine home games this season they have kept a clean sheet. An average goals per game of 2.78 and 0.33 conceded could well be the best out of any team in Europe's leagues. Even more impressive is that this in entirely in-line with their expected goals. They can thank their effective offence with Hazard, Plea and Stindl, but their whole team has quality throughout. They also have a good mixture of young talent and experienced professionals. There are a few injuries in the squad but they should be able to field a full starting XI.
- League Position: 2
Hertha Berlin
Hertha are a classic mid-table team. They're a little bit better at home than away and they pick up almost all of their points against lower table opposition. But this can't disguise the fact that they lack any real quality and when they meet a better team, it can get really ugly. They have won three of their ten matches away from home, and these wins came against relegation threatened teams. Their away losses have usually been by more than one goal. They slipped up in their last home match, where they lost 0-1 to Wolfsburg. Their midfield with Duda, Maier and Grujic are their real strength, but their attack and defence are just too ineffective. Hertha have scored 1.50 goals and conceded 1.70 away from home this season, and these figures are in line with their expected goals. They have a few injuries in the squad, but it's Maier's potential absence that could prove the most costly.
- League Position: 9
Betting Tip
Looking at how Mönchengladbach are playing now, especially at home, it looks like not a lot can stop them. They have a fantastic offensive trio, that rarely fail to deliver. This combined with an organised defence and a fantastic goalkeeper make them an excellent team. The fact that they have won 100% of their home matches this season is exceptional. Hertha are a stable mid-table team and that just won't be enough away to Mönchengladbach. I'm backing Mönchengladbach -1 at odds of 9/5.
