Gladbach target a return to winning ways against Bremen
Borussia Mönchengladbach welcome SV Werder Bremen to the BORUSSIA-PARK in Matchday 20's opening encounter, with the Foals aiming to pick up a first win of 2016 (kick-off: 20.30CET/19.30GMT).
Watch: Mainz 1-0 Gladbach highlights
The Foals have lost to Borussia Dortmund and 1. FSV Mainz 05 so far this year - although performances have been better than results - and slipped out of the top four last weekend. With their European rivals facing off this weekend, however, Andre Schubert's side will want to return to winning ways to climb back into the UEFA Champions League spots.
For their part, Bremen have been in impressive form since the turn of the year, recording a fine come-from-behind win at FC Schalke 04 on Matchday 18 and then rescuing a late draw against high-flying Hertha Berlin, with the evergreen Claudio Pizarro finding the net in both matches.
History
Matchday 3 rewind: Bremen 2-1 Gladbach
Matchday 20 - match facts
- Borussia have lost both games of the Rückrunde so far.Gladbach have failed to win or even to score in their last six games on a Friday night (D1 L5).The Foals have taken ten of a possible 12 points from their last four home games against Bremen, but lost to Viktor Skripnik's men in the DFB Cup last 16 in December at the BORUSSIA-PARK.Bremen have scored at least three goals in both games so far in the Rückrunde. In the first half of the season they only managed to score three goals or more twice.Grün-Weißen new boy Papy Djilobodji won 88 per cent of his tackles against Hertha on Matchday 19 and touched the ball 92 times - both the best returns of any player on the pitch.Against Hertha, Pizarro scored the 34th brace of his Bundesliga career - the most of any player currently in the top flight.Goals guaranteed: Gladbach have conceded 34 times this season; Bremen 36. Only VfB Stuttgart (39) have let in more.Werder have also allowed a goal at least once in each of their last 22 games.
Possible line-ups
Gladbach: Sommer - Korb, Christensen, Hinteregger, Wendt - Dahoud, Nordtveit - Traore, Johnson - Stindl, Raffael
Absentees: Dominguez (back), Jantschke, Herrmann, Schulz (all knee), Hahn (leg), Xhaka (suspended)
Bremen: Wiedwald - Fritz, Vestergaard, Djilobodji, Gebre Selassie - Öztunali, Kleinheisler, Junuzovic, Bartels - Pizarro, Ujah
Absentees: Galvez, Sternberg (both ankle), Wolf (hip), Bargfrede (Achilles), Yildirim (knee), Johannsson (knee), Garcia (suspended)