Preview:Borussia Monchengladbach vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

Borussia Monchengladbach and Werder Bremen will both be looking to hit the restart button on their season when the two sides go head-to-head at Borussia-Park this Sunday evening.

Die Fohlen are yet to score a goal since the start of the campaign, while Die Werderaner have already conceded seven from their opening two matches.

Match preview

Borussia Monchengladbach were left somewhat disappointed by last season’s 10th-place finish, considering the club were sitting as high as fifth just two months before the end of the season.

Die Fohlen slipped down the standings after closing out the campaign with a seven-match winless run – one which consisted of six frustrating defeats.

Despite the underwhelming climax to the previous campaign, Swiss manager Gerardo Seoane remains at the helm and continues to have the backing of the club’s board, for now.

In order to retain the trust of his bosses, Seoane will need an immediate turnaround in form; his men have kicked off the season with a goalless draw against newly promoted Hamburg SV and a 1-0 defeat away at Stuttgart – leaving Monchengladbach with one measly point and no goals scored.

Werder Bremen have also struggled in these early weeks of the new season – particularly from a defensive point of view.

Die Werderaner have already conceded seven goals, losing 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in their season opener, before drawing 3-3 with Bayer Leverkusen in their first home game.

This marks the continuation of their defensive problems from last season, which saw Bremen concede 57 goals during their league campaign.

Only four clubs conceded more goals than Bremen last term, with all four of those sides rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga table. With that in mind, the club’s eighth-place finish last season is an impressive achievement.

As proven by their high-scoring draw against Leverkusen, Bremen can pose a serious threat when going forward, and new manager Horst Steffen will be hoping to build on that strength as his men prepare to take on a poor Monchengladbach side this weekend.

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

D L

Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions):

W D L

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

L D

Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

W L D

Team News

Borussia Monchengladbach brought Yannik Engelhardt back to the Bundesliga during the transfer window, with the player available for Sunday’s match.

Tim Kleindienst remains on the sidelines for Die Fohlen, with the forward not expected to return from his knee injury until late October.

Nathan Ngoumou is also out of action, with the midfielder struggling with an Achilles tendon injury; the 25-year-old is expected back in November.

Werder Bremen made headlines on transfer deadline day by snapping up Victor Boniface on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, and the striker is expected to start on Sunday.

Olivier Deman, meanwhile, is not available for selection after picking up an ankle injury during the DFB-Pokal clash with Arminia Bielefeld last month.

Julian Malatini is also struggling with an ankle problem and is a doubt for the trip to Borussia-Park.

Amos Pieper (hip), Mitchell Weiser (knee) and Maximilian Wober (thigh) are the other injury worries for Steffen.

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup: Nicolas; Scally, Elvedi, Diks, Ullrich; Reitz, Sander; Honorat, Stoger, Hack; Tabakovic

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup: Backhaus; Sugawara, Coulibaly, Friedl, Agu; Bittencourt, Lynen; Njinmah, Schmid, Mbangula; Boniface