Borussia Monchengladbach vs Wolfsberger Predictions

We seem on course for a mismatch on Thursday night at Borussia-Park, as Austrian outfit Wolfsberger head to Gladbach. The visitors come here with a string of strong results domestically pushing them forward, but they look to be the remainder amid a three-way fight for a top-two finish in this group. The pressure is on the hosts to deliver a victory in what is likely to be their easiest game of the group.

Gladbach are fighting it out with Roma and Istanbul Basaksehir in Group J, with those three all looking for a spot in the next round. The German side will be expected to pick up a top-two finish, although they are competing with a Roma side who are fourth favourites. On top of that, there’s always the possibility that Basaksehir will finally come good in Europe. That makes Gladbach’s task here even more important.

Meanwhile, Wolfsberger are making a rare appearance in Europe, as they prepare for just their fifth continental game in their history. The visitors were in the Europa League for the first time in 2015/16, when they lasted just two rounds. They went out in the third qualifying round with comprehensive defeats against Borussia Dortmund ending their hopes of going any further.

We expect more problems for Wolfsberger when they face off with German opposition once again. They were beaten 5-0 in their last trip to Germany, while they could be set for a heavy loss as they don’t quite look up to the level required. They’ve breezed into the group stage after qualifying automatically, but have they really moved forward since their heavy loss a few seasons ago?

We are struggling to back the visitors in this clash, given the difference between their domestic and European form over the years. Salzburg hit five past them in their meeting earlier this term, which suggests that in the biggest games Wolfsberger come up short. The visitors met the champions four times last season, losing by two goals or more on three occasions.

We expect a similarly tough night for the away side here. While they’ve made it to the Europa League, they clearly aren’t ready for the level of opposition they are going to face. As a result, we are going with Gladbach to win this clash with a -1 handicap, as we expect them to win this encounter by two goals or more. Gladbach should put the gulf between these two on show in this clash, which has us backing a 3-0 win for the hosts.