Fiorentina vs Borussia Monchengladbach Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Borussia Monchengladbach showed clear signs of a Champions League hangover when they hosted Fiorentina last week. The Italian side claimed a 1-0 victory in Germany, but they can’t start celebrating yet. It’s too early for them to look ahead to Friday’s last 16 draw, as they’ve got work to do in this second leg. They need to finish off the job, which they should manage, if the visitors are as poor as they were when these two met in the first leg.

Both teams are aiming to bounce back from a weekend defeat on Thursday. Fiorentina went down 2-1 at AC Milan, despite threatening the out of form Rossoneri in patches. That saw the gap between the two sides open up to four points. Meanwhile, Gladbach lost out to title challenging Leipzig, who claimed a 2-1 victory at Borussia-Park. Those results basically ended their hopes of making Europe next term, so defeat here could be their last continental action for some time. However, winning this competition does give them a back door in to next season’s Champions League.

Fiorentina are on course to make the last 16 as things stand, and the statistics suggest they are going to see things out on Thursday. They just need a clean sheet here to qualify for the next round, and they’ve shut out the opposition in 42% of their home league matches. Gladbach have also failed to score in 50% of their trips in the Bundesliga, while they suffered two 4-0 defeats away from home in the Champions League group stage.

The Viola are yet to lose a home league game, which includes a 2-1 victory over Juventus last month. That form should help them ease in to the next round, especially given their impressive form in this competition. Fiorentina have won five of their last six outings in Europe, and they’re going up against a side who looked blunt in their meeting a week ago. Champions League teams rarely hit the ground running once they drop in to Europe’s second tier competition.

Trouble in the Europa League is something the visitors know only too well. They have crashed out at this stage in both of their previous campaigns. That has us backing the hosts to get the result they need to qualify for the next round. While a draw would do, we think they can see off a Gladbach side who have lost 60% of their league trips. Fiorentina look like great value at 7/5 with bet365, but we’re playing things a little safer and backing them on the draw no bet market, which is 4/6. Given that Gladbach have lost by a single goal in their last three matches in this competition, we’re backing a 1-0 win for the Serie A side, at 13/2 with bet365.