Turnaround against Gladbach?

Last season 1899 did the double over their opponents and so far this season have been victorious in both encounters between the two sides. Hoffenheim recorded a 3-2 win inside the Rhein-Neckar Arena on Matchday 8, and were also the team to knock Gladbach out of the DFB-Pokal in the 3rd round with a resounding 2-0 victory. Coincidentally, ahead of their match earlier this season, the Sinsheim side were in a similar rut to the one they are in now, which has seen them only take a single point from their last three matches. Will Borussia Mönchengladbach again be the victims of a Hoffenheim bounce back? "This weekend's match is important in terms of the team moral. It's clear that the result will be decided by the desire, passion and emotions shown by both teams", stated captain Andreas Beck.

Pezzaiuoli calls for cleverness and composure

The recent criticisms regarding 1899 have all been centred on how clinical they are in front of goal. The problem was especially evident against 1. FC Köln last weekend, where Hoffenheim had several chances in the match, but only managed to score once, something that many have argued cost them two points. If it were not for the post, bar, bad luck and a small amount of uncertainty the result might have been very different. However, despite the poor conversion rate in recent matches, head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli was in no mood to criticise his players: "The desire to score goals is crucial, but what people sometimes forget is that we're the youngest team in the Bundesliga. It creates lots of ups and downs and every now and again we just need to show a little more cleverness and composure."

The Foals are likely to present themselves differently to the encounter earlier this season. Not just because they have a new manager in charge, but more importantly because they are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table in an attempt to stay in Germany's top division. The experienced Borussia side haven't given up yet either something that Beck is very aware of: "Every match for Gladbach is a pure relegation battle. That's why we've got to try and stop the game becoming too physical in order for us to stick to our usual style of play." Despite this the light at the end of the tunnel does seem to be dwindling for Gladbach who up until now have only collected 19 points, conceding 59 goals in the process, more than any other team. However, 1899 know this will not be a straightforward match by any stretch of the imagination. "There's no chance that this weekend's match again Gladbach will be any easier than the ones earlier in the season. They're fighting for survival and will continue to do so until the bitter end, which will make it difficult for us", explained Pezzaiuoli.

Two defenders set to miss out

1899 will have to show some of their own fighting spirit on Saturday as they look to close the gap on the upper echelons of the Bundesliga table in order to stay within touching distance of a possible place in Europe. However, they will have to do that without two of their most important players in the form of centre-backs Josip Simunic and Isaac Vorsah, who are both out with injuries. Pezzaiuoli is also still without long-term absentees Tobias Weis, Chinedu Obasi and Manuel Gulde. It unclear as to whether the 42-year old will make any changes to his starting line-up, but that decision is likely to be made shortly before kick-off.

Stats and Facts

In terms of Bundesliga encounters, Hoffenheim have their noses in front of their opponents after both teams were promoted to the Germany's top flight in 2008. Since then 1899 have collected a total of 35 more points than Gladbach. Meanwhile, this season the Foals have been terrible at home, only collecting 6 points inside their own stadium, which is comfortably the worst record in the league. On the other hand 1899 Hoffenheim have only won one of their last five matches away from home. Something has got to give, which sets up a truly interesting meeting between the two sides on Saturday.