Borussia Monchengladbach and Freiburg will both be looking to bounce back from defeats last time out when they meet in the final game of the Bundesliga weekend on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts continue to struggle on their travels but remain unbeaten at Borussia-Park, whilst their visitors have seen their best-ever start to a top flight campaign take a drastic turn for the worse in recent weeks.
Match preview
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Consistency, as well as away form, remains the issue for Adi Hutter's Gladbach side heading into matchday 14 this weekend, following a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Rhine rivals FC Koln last week.
The scoreline in the Rhineland derby was arguably harsh on the Foals however, with little to separate the sides for much of the contest and were they to possess the clinical finishing of their hosts, the result could certainly have been different on another day.
Following Jonas Hofmann's goal in the 74th minute - his fifth in his last six Bundesliga outings - Gladbach looked set to take at least a point from the encounter.
However, a quickfire double from Koln within four minutes of Hofmann's equaliser left Hutter's men in shock, and condemned them to another disappointment on their domestic travels.
That humbling defeat meant it is now just four points taken from seven away games so far this campaign, and is one of the primary reasons for Gladbach's struggles down in 11th place ahead of Sunday's welcoming of Freiburg.
Life at Borussia-Park has been drastically different up to this point though, with Gladbach just one of three sides across the division to remain unbeaten in front of their own supporters at this stage, meaning it will be a welcome return to home at the weekend.
Despite the lack of consistency and problems on the road though, Hutter and his side remain just two points off the European places, in what is a tight group consisting of over half the teams in the division chasing the same goal as things stand.
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Meanwhile, Freiburg head to Borussia-Park on Sunday showcasing how much can change within a month in the footballing world.
Back at the start of November, Christian Streich took his side to face champions, and league leaders, Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, as the only unbeaten side left in the Bundesliga.
Despite a spirited and admirable display though, Die Breisgauer fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat to suffer their first minor setback of a club-record opening to the 2021-22 campaign.
In addition, Freiburg have since lost their next two fixtures against Eintracht Frankfurt - their first loss at their new Europa-Park Stadion - and to newly-promoted VfL Bochum last time out as well.
Although they remain in an unexpected Champions League spot of fourth ahead of matchday 14 following the three straight defeats, the previously mentioned chasing pack has gained ground over the past month, and as a result, Freiburg could drop to as low as seventh by the end of play on Sunday were they to suffer a fourth loss in as many games.
Boasting a decade in charge of the Black Forest side however, Streich will avoid drastic changes to his team and their plans at the moment, and will remain confident that the foundations and performances that have been built in a hugely successful campaign so far can be recaptured in order to return to winning ways soon.
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Team News
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Gladbach will check on the fitness of forward Breel Embolo ahead of Sunday's clash with Freiburg, after the Swiss international missed the last two outings due to a thigh problem.
As a result, Alassane Plea is likely to lead the line once more, with Lars Stindl and Hofmann providing further support in attack.
Jordan Beyer, Mamadou Doucoure and Tony Jantschke are definite absentees, whilst midfielder Christoph Kramer joins Embolo on the doubtful list.
As for the visitors, Jonathan Schmid remains absent, as he has done since matchday two, and will be joined by Nils Petersen on the sidelines.
The duo are the only injuries for Streich to deal with though, who could look to revert to his preferred structure of 3-4-3 in order to match up with his opponents.
As a result, young winger Kevin Schade would likely be the player to drop out to make way for defender Manuel Gulde in the formation reshuffle for Freiburg.
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Herrmann, Zakaria, Kone, Scally; Hofmann, Stindl; Plea
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Gulde, Lienhart, N Schlotterbeck; Kubler, Eggestein, Hofler, Gunter; Jeong, Holer, Grifo
We say: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Freiburg
Due to Gladbach's superb home form so far this campaign, we are predicting the hosts to inflict a fourth straight defeat on their visitors at Borussia-Park on Sunday.
It is likely to be a narrow winning margin however, as Freiburg still remain a tough side to break down and will not roll over no matter the challenge that faces them.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Borussia Monchengladbach win with a probability of 53.89%. A draw had a probability of 23.8% and a win for Freiburg had a probability of 22.35%.
The most likely scoreline for a Borussia Monchengladbach win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.76%) and 2-0 (9.53%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.28%), while for a Freiburg win it was 0-1 (6.53%). The actual scoreline of 0-6 was predicted with a 0% likelihood.
