Preview: RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Monchengladbach - prediction, team news, lineups

Leipzig's title hopes were significantly damaged by a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last Friday, while Gladbach fell back into the bottom half of the table after being held by Freiburg at home.

Match preview

Indeed, in a fiercely competitive encounter which saw seven yellow cards brandished, Dortmund continued their winning streak with a crucial 2-1 win against Leipzig.

BVB held a 2-0 lead at half time courtesy of Marco Reus's penalty and Emre Can's deflected effort, but Die Roten Bullen rallied after the break, eventually pulling one back through Emil Forsberg's clean strike.

However, Marco Rose's side could not find an equaliser, as they fell seven points behind their opponents and Bayern Munich. With only 11 league games of the season remaining, that feels an insurmountable gap at this stage of proceedings.

As such, Rose's main focus is likely to be set on winning his first trophy in German football, with his former club Dortmund standing in his way in a DFB-Pokal quarter-final clash next month. Leipzig are also still firmly in their Champions League tie against Manchester City having drawn 1-1 at the Red Bull Arena, with the return leg taking place next week.

In the meantime, though, they must bounce back in the league to ensure that they remain in the top four positions, with finishing inside the Champions League qualification spots representing a minimum requirement for them nowadays.

Gladbach, on the other hand, appear to be heading for another season of mid-table obscurity having remained an inconsistent outfit under Daniel Farke's fledgling stewardship.

After finishing tenth last season, that position is exactly where Die Fohlen find themselves heading into the weekend's action, having collected eight points from eight matches since returning from the World Cup.

Gladbach are probably the only team in the Bundesliga who could ship four goals apiece away to Hertha Berlin and Mainz 05 either side of beating the reigning champions Bayern Munich, with their goalless draw against Freiburg last time out perhaps necessary in order to stabilise themselves.

With little to play for beyond securing a top-half finish between now and the end of the campaign, Farke's main focus may be on improving his team's wretched away form, with Saturday's trip to Leipzig representing an excellent opportunity to lay down a marker in that regard.

RB Leipzig Bundesliga form:

W

D

L

W

W

L

RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

D

L

W

D

W

L

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

W

D

L

W

L

D

Team News

Leipzig will remain without Peter Gulasci, Abdou Diallo and Dani Olmo due to long-term injury issues, while Christopher Nkunku and Xaver Schlager both look set to be sidelined for several weeks.

The toils of their 2-1 defeat to Dortmund appear to have damaged Rose's side beyond the implications of their title hopes, with Nkunku set to miss next week's visit to the Etihad Stadium with a hamstring issue.

Schlager, meanwhile, faces a race against time to return this season after suffering a serious ankle injury during the defeat. The pair are likely to be replaced by Timo Werner and Konrad Laimer, who returns from suspension after missing out on appearing at the Westfalenstadion.

Gladbach, meanwhile, will travel without Ramy Bensebaini after the left-back was sent off late on against Freiburg for a second bookable offence. Luca Netz is likely to replace the Algeria international.

Goalkeepers Jonas Omlin and Jan Olschowsky are unlikely to be available until after the international break due to hip and finger issues respectively, but third-choice stopper Tobias Sippel will have taken plenty of confidence from keeping a clean sheet last weekend.

Farke may be happy with retaining the bulk of his starting XI from their goalless draw, especially with Tony Jantschkle and Julian Weigl still sidelined by knee and ankle injuries respectively.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:

Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Haidara, Laimer; Szoboszlai, Forsberg; Werner, Silva

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:

Sippel; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Netz; Kramer, Kone; Hofmann, Stindl, Plea; Thuram

We say: RB Leipzig 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach

Despite missing several influential players through injury, Leipzig should be able to get themselves back on track with a victory on home territory this weekend.

Gladbach have won just once on the road all season in the Bundesliga, so it would be a major surprise if they came away from the Red Bull Arena with all three points, even if they are likely to have threatening moments in transition.

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