Darmstadt – Borussia Monchengladbach
Bundesliga Round 4
Darmstadt, August 17, 17:30 CET
In the last five games, Darmstadt conceded as many as 16 goals. Counting all matches (and even friendlies!) - the last time this team won was on May 19 (against Magdeburg in the 2nd Bundesliga 1:0). It is clear that Darmstadt is already a candidate for relegation from the elite Bundesliga.
The match against Borussia Monchengladbach for the hosts in Darmstadt will be an opportunity for them to win at least a point. Forecasting the outcome of the match is ungrateful, although Borussia is the favorite and has not lost in the last seven away games. Much more impressive and significant is the series of good goalscoring performances of the Monchengladbach team, when it comes to away games. In the last ten matches, this team managed to score at least one goal - and a total of 30.
The best example of how Borussia plays away from home is the 4:4 draw against Augsburg in a match played on August 19. At the end of the previous Bundesliga season, this team managed to win a draw against the excellent Bayer in Leverkusen 2:2. Before that, they lost 5:2 against Borussia Dortmund, also away from home.
In the last game at home, Darmstadt lost to the excellent Union Berlin 4:1 (duel played on August 26). In the previous season in the 2nd Bundesliga, this team, especially in the end, rarely managed not to concede a goal on their home field. Considering the form and game systems of both teams, it should be expected that both Darmstadt and Borussia manage to score at least one goal in the Round 4 of the Bundesliga on Sunday - and that we see at least three goals in the game.
The home team, as a team which then played in 2. Bundesliga, made a big surprise in October last year and beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2:1. It is also their last duel. Previously, in May 2016 in the Bundesliga, Borussia won in Darmstadt 2:0. In January 2017, they played a goalless game.
Borussia will not count on French midfielder Kone and German midfielder Kramer - both are not options for this match due to knee injuries. A big problem is the illness of the important defender Stefan Lainer. However, even in the face of problems in the composition, this team has been showing for months that they play offensively and efficiently.
Darmstadt has numerous problems, as many as six players are in the process of recovery. Scottish striker Fraser Hornby has not recovered for this match after a hip injury, but the hosts against Borussia are expected to try to get an aggressive approach to score in the first half. Since the team has not yet won a single point this season, it is expected that Darmstadt as the host will play more attacking and open, than would otherwise be the case.
Overall, this could be a more complicated match for Borussia than it appears at first glance, but it is certain that both teams will have plenty of scoring opportunities on Sunday. And they will have a chance to offer the football fans in Germany great entertainment this Sunday, when there isn't a real derby, and all teams of top attacking quality have already played their matches on Saturday.