Our next opponents: Gladbach's wait for Raffael

Position

In the end, it was one of those draws that felt like a defeat. Borussia Mönchengladbach were in total control at home to Werder Bremen on Friday night with a 2-0 lead at half-time at Borussia Park. After the break, Gladbach lost control of the game and Bremen deservedly drew level, which meant the team from the Lower Rhine missed the chance to reduce the gap to the top third of the Bundesliga. The reason why the team coached by Dieter Hecking is no longer in the leading group is a result of a significant dip in form after the winter break. The Foals lost five of the first six games in 2018 and have slipped down to mid-table. After four points in two games Gladbach are now in eighth position and have their eyes on European qualification once again. Borussia have a score to settle with Bayer 04. The two teams met twice at Borussia Park in the second half of 2017 and both games ended in  bitter home defeats for Gladbach: The Werkself clocked up a runaway 5-1 win in the Bundesliga and, just before Christmas, Herrlich's team knocked the Foals out of the DFB Cup with a 1-0 victory.

personnel

Gladbach's plight after the winter break is, to a large extent, due to the absence of one player: the Brazilian Raffael. He is the creative and special element in the Foals' game. However, he has struggled with a calf injury for a long time and since the start of the second half of the season has only played from the start once in the 2-0 home game against FC Augsburg. The injury was originally described as a "dead leg" but over the following weeks there were little setbacks again and again. The expected return of Raffael, Gladbach's top goalscorer this season alongside Thorgan Hazard, has been pushed back game by game. He could be fit for Saturday's match at the BayArena – or perhaps not. One definite starter is the former Leverkusen player Christoph Kramer (from 1999 to 2016 at Bayer 04). The midfielder went off injured against Bremen but he received the all clear the next day: Kramer is back in training and ready for the clash with his former club. A really important player: The World Cup winner of 2014 ended Gladbach's run of poor results with a great  volleyed goal against Hannover 96 and in the match against Bremen he was a driving force for Hecking's team in the centre of the park alongside Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria.

problems

The absence of Raffael has had a marked effect on the otherwise free-flowing Gladbach offensive game. The result: In the recent run of four defeats between matchdays 20 and 23 Borussia did not score a single goal and three of the games ended in 1-0 defeats. The absence of the Brazilian is a heavy blow – particularly given the fact that Ibrahima Traoré, another player who can make the difference with an individual move, has only played three games in the current campaign due to a number of different muscle injuries. Another problem in attack is the failure to take chances. A large number of the defeats in the second half of the season would not have happened if Gladbach had been more clinical with their finishing. However: Top goalscorer Raffael has been sidelined, Thorgan Hazard did score seven times but also missed a large number of goalscoring opportunities. There is no real goalgetter. In addition to the captain Lars Stindl, who has netted four goals so far, Hecking has recently played central striker Raúl Bobadilla in Raffael's position. The Argentinian is still waiting for his goal of the season following his return to Gladbach – as his stand-in, the former Leverkusen player Josip Drmic.

potential

Mönchengladbach have a clear philosophy. Again and again, the Foals bring through talented youngsters who then make money for the club: Marco Reus, Marc-André ter Stegen, Granit Xhaka and most recently Mahmoud Dahoud. Most of the funds raised through transfers are invested by sporting director Max Eberl in rising stars rather than established players – and there are a few in the Gladbach squad at the moment. Thorgan Hazard (24) is not the only player to attract the attention of top European clubs with midfielder Denis Zakaria (21) (pictured above with Christoph Kramer) and Michael Cuisance (18) plus defender Reece Oxford (19) demonstrating their great potential in the current campaign. Hecking's squad also includes talented youngsters  Mandela Egbo (20) and Louis Beyer (17). So the future looks bright for Gladbach to continue on their way.

prediction

The performances have mostly been there but the results have not met expectations recently for Borussia. The gap to the leading group and thereby to the European spots has grown but is certainly not impossible to make up if Gladbach rediscover their previous strengths and also cut out unnecessary mistakes in  defence. Seventh place is a realistic target – and that could be enough to secure a place in the Europa League next season.