German Bundesliga Soccer - Paderborn vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, 6/20/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds

Still fighting for a top-four finish, 5th-placed Borussia Monchengladbach is paying a visit to rock-bottom Paderborn, who has been officially relegated to the second division next season. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 20.

Paderborn Get Relegated

Bottom-dwelling Paderborn’s elimination from the Bundesliga for the next season was officially confirmed when the team dropped a 1-0 decision against Union Berlin away at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei on Tuesday. The team from North Rhine-Westphalia controlled the ball 59% of the time, but was eventually outshot 15-12, failing to score a single snipe for the first time in its past four contests, a Ben Zolinski own-goal giving the side its third defeat on the last four tries (D1 L3). Paderborn’s winless run has now extended to 13 straight games (D5 L8).

German attacking duo of Streli Mamba and Dennis Srbeny leads the league’s worst team in scoring with five markers each. Goalie Leopold Zingerle, meanwhile, sits 7th in the Bundesliga with 93 saves. He has picked up five clean sheets in 26 outings this season and concedes a goal every 46 minutes on average. Paderborn has netted the absolute lowest quantity of goals so far this year (34) while taking the 12th highest number of shots per game (12.6). The team is 13th in ball possession (47.0%) and 9th in passing accuracy (77.7%).

Gladbach Still Eye Top-Four

The battle for a top-four position continued for Borussia Monchengladbach, who ended a two-game losing run with a 3-0 home victory against Wolfsburg at Borussia-Park on Tuesday. With top scorers Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram both injured, midfielder Jonas Hofmann stepped up on the attack, banking two snipes in the first 30 minutes of the game before Lars Stindl rounded off the victory with his seventh marker of the season in the second half. The Foals remain in a tight race with 4th-placed Bayer Leverkusen for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga, currently sitting 5th (W18 D5 L9), just one point below Die Werkself.

Top scorers Plea and Thuram, both with 10 league goals this year, are still ruled out with injuries, leaving Switzerland international Breel Embolo and German forward Stindl as the team’s highest-scoring available options (both on 7 snipes). Goalie Yann Sommer, meanwhile, sits at the top of the Bundesliga with 125 saves. He has recorded seven clean sheets in 32 games this year and concedes a goal every 76 minutes on average. Gladbach is 4th in most goals buried this season (61), 6th in most shots delivered per game (13.6), and 5th in both ball possession (51.7%) and passing accuracy (81.5%).

Prediction

Paderborn has absolutely nothing left to play for after being officially relegated to 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season and are not too unlikely to field an even weaker side than usual - just to give the youngsters some top-division minutes! For Borussia Monchengladbach, though, this is as crucial a matchup as they come. The team is still battling for a top-four position and will give its all to bank a victory here. The Foals have already won their past four meetings with Paderborn and have gone W3 D2 L2 on their last seven travels, while the side from North Rhine-Westphalia has lost six of its previous seven domestic contests (D1 L6). Paderborn has, however, scored at least a goal in their last 10 home games.

Best bets:

Borussia Monchengladbach (Handicap -1.5) (-145)

Paderborn to score one goal (+145)

Breel Embolo to score anytime (-115)

Lars Stindl to score anytime (+130)

Correct score: 3-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach (+860)