Slow starters meet at Borussia-Park
Mönchengladbach - Borussia Mönchengladbach risk setting an unwanted club record of four successive defeats to start a Bundesliga season unless they can pick up their first points of the campaign at home to Hamburger SV on Friday (kick-off 20:30 CEST/18:30 GMT).
History
Top facts
- Mönchengladbach are in danger of starting a season with four successive defeats for the very first time.Lucien Favre's men have conceded almost as many goals (eight) as in the whole second half of last season (ten).Despite their defeat in Cologne last time out, HSV put in an impressive display, registering 17 shots to the hosts' six.Both teams are missing their 'enforcers': Granit Xhaka picked up his third red card in 83 Bundesliga outings for the Foals on Matchday 3.Emir Spahic is also banned after being dismissed for the fourth time in 52 top-flight appearances in Germany.Only VfB Stuttgart have conceded more goals (ten) than HSV and Mönchengladbach (both nine).
Team news
Gladbach
Possible line-up: Sommer - Korb, Stranzl, Jantschke, Wendt - Nordtveit, Stindl - Traore, Raffael, Hazard - Hahn
Absentees: Dominguez (light training), Herrmann (knee), Johnson (muscle), Xhaka (suspended)
Hamburg
Possible line-up: Drobny - Diekmeier, Djourou, Kacar, Ostrzolek - Ekdal, Holtby - N. Müller, Hunt, Ilicevic - Lasogga
Absentees:Adler (shoulder), Hirzel (abdominal), Marcos (groin), Rudnevs (tongue), Spahic (suspended)