German Bundesliga Soccer - Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Hertha Berlin, 6/27/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Needing just a draw to book a place in the Champions League for the next season, 4th-placed Borussia Monchengladbach are hosting Hertha Berlin, who have moved to the 10th place in the Bundesliga after a victory against Gladbach’s top-four competitors Bayer Leverkusen. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 27.
Gladbach Close In On 4th Place
Borussia Monchengladbach took a step closer to a place in the Champions League next season after beating bottom-dwelling Paderborn with a score of 3-1 away at Benteler Arena last Saturday. After the hosts canceled out Patrick Herrmann’s 4th-minute opener in the second half, two subsequent goals by Lars Stindl, including a penalty, have now put the Foals 4th in the Bundesliga (W19 D5 L9), two points ahead of 5th-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who lost at Hertha Berlin in another of Saturday’s fixtures. With their goal differential nine snipes better than that of Die Werkself, Gladbach most likely need just a draw against Hertha Berlin to finish the league in the top-four.
French striking duo of Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea lead the Foals with 10 strikes each but are both likely to miss the last contest of the season due to injuries. Goalie Yann Sommer, meanwhile, sits at the top of the league with 125 saves. He has collected seven clean sheets in 33 Bundesliga outings this year and concedes a goal every 76 minutes on average. Gladbach have scored the 4th highest number of goals this season (64), while delivering the 6th highest quantity of shots per game (13.9). The team is 6th in ball possession (51.7%) and 5th in passing accuracy (81.7%).
Hertha Berlin Blank Leverkusen
A three-game losing run ended with a bang for Hertha Berlin, who snatched a 2-0 home victory against top-four hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen at Olympiastadion last Saturday. The Old Lady saw the ball just 31% of the time, but outshot the visitors 14-12, banking two unexpected goals - one in each half - through Matheus Cunha and Dodi Lukebakio. The victory has brought the team back into the top half of the table (W11 D8 L14), with Hertha Berlin now able to finish a Bundesliga campaign in the top-ten for the fourth time in their last five seasons.
Belgian-Congolese winger Lukebakio tops the Old Lady’s scoring table with seven league tallies, averaging a goal every 279 minutes of play. Goalie Rune Jarstein, meanwhile, is 4th in the Bundesliga with 105 saves. He has recorded nine clean sheets in 29 appearances this year and gives up a marker every 55 minutes on average. Hertha Berlin have netted the 10th highest amount of goals during the ongoing campaign (47), while taking the absolute lowest quantity of shots per game (10.8). The team is 14th in ball possession (46.5%) and 11th in passing accuracy (77.4%).
Prediction
Borussia Monchengladbach are in the driving seat to book a top-four finish in the Bundesliga thanks to Hertha Berlin, who beat Bayer Leverkusen - Gladbach’s closest competitors for the 4th place in the league - last Saturday, leaving the Foals two points ahead for a spot in the next season’s Champions League. As it stands, Borussia Monchengladbach just need one point from their last outing of the season, but will definitely not get any guarantees from the Old Lady, which has already gone unbeaten against the Foals in their past three Bundesliga encounters (W2 D1), failing to lose by more than one goal in six of their last seven meetings.
Best bet:
Hertha Berlin (Handicap +1.5) (-110)