Preview: Borussia Monchengladbach vs Heidenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Borussia Monchengladbach's clash at Borussia Park against Heidenheim on Saturday will have enormous ramifications on the Bundesliga's relegation battle.

Gladbach may be in 13th place with 29 points, but they are only five points ahead of the bottom three, while Heidenheim are cut adrift in 18th place with just 15 points following their 3-3 stalemate with Bayer Leverkusen on March 21.

Match preview

Borussia Monchengladbach claimed a point when they drew 3-3 with FC Koln on March 21, though they surrendered 1-0 and 3-2 leads, with their opponents netting their third in the 84th minute.

While dropping points from winning positions is not a positive, the club have now won two and lost just one of their past four games in the top flight, a significant improvement considering they had failed to win their previous seven in the league.

Die Fohlen have scored five goals in their past two matches, just one fewer than they managed in their prior nine clashes, but they conceded at least two goals in four of their six most recent fixtures.

Head coach Eugen Polanski's side still have to play three of the current top five in their remaining seven Bundesliga games, so the threat of relegation must be taken seriously despite their advantageous position.

Gladbach have triumphed in their past two at Borussia Park, and their only defeat in their last five at the ground came against third-placed Stuttgart on January 25.

Frank Schmidt's visitors deserve immense credit for fighting back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to hold Leverkusen to a 3-3 stalemate, taking just their fourth point in 14 Bundesliga games.

However, they failed to win any matches in that period, and they could find themselves 12 points adrift of the 16th-placed relegation playoff spot by the end of this weekend's action.

Heidenheim rank 18th for goals conceded in the league (61), and they have conceded at least twice in 11 of their last 14 matches in all competitions.

The visitors are yet to experience victory against Gladbach in seven attempts, and they head to Borussia Park hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss against their opponents.

FCH must arrest their four-game losing streak away from home if they have any ambitions of survival, though it remains to be seen if they can stop the rot given they have lost 11 of their 13 matches on the road in the Bundesliga.

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

Heidenheim form (all competitions):

Team News

Gladbach top scorer Haris Tabakovic (11) is a certain inclusion, especially as Tim Kleindienst's knee problem is set to sideline him until late April.

Rocco Reitz has been a frequent fixture in the XI having started 25 of his team's 27 Bundesliga games, and he may be stationed next to Yannik Engelhardt in a double pivot.

With some doubts about the fitness of Kota Takai, expect Philipp Sander, Nico Elvedi and Kevin Diks to feature in a three-man defence.

Heidenheim's injury list is not particularly extensive, though they will be without left-back Leart Pacarada (knee) and midfielder Jan Schoppner (suspension).

Hennes Behrens is a likely selection on the left side of defence, while Schmidt may field a trio of Luca Kerber, Julian Niehues and Niklas Dorsch in the middle of the pitch.

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:

Nicolas; Sander, Elvedi, Diks; Scally, Reitz, Engelhardt, Castrop; Honorat, Stoger; Tabakovic

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Busch, Mainka, Gimber, Behrens; Kerber, Niehues, Dorsch; Dinkci, Pieringer, Conteh