In the Bundesliga's basement battle, Borussia Monchengladbach will welcome Hoffenheim to Borussia Park on Sunday.

The clash is sure to be fiercely contested, with the 18th-placed hosts the only team in the division without a point after five matchweeks, though 17th-placed Hoffenheim are not much of an improvement given they have just three points.

Match preview

If there were any doubts about whether Gladbach were going to be in a relegation fight, they have now dissipated considering the club's start to the season is the firth worst in the history of the Bundesliga at this stage when factoring in their goal difference of negative 11.

Die Fohlen could find themselves trailing safety by six points should results not fall in their favour this weekend, and their schedule over the coming weeks is fraught with difficulties considering they are set to face Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund in two of their next four top-flight fixtures.

Boss Alexander Blessin was brought in as the replacement for Eugen Polanski, though he oversaw a 2-1 loss against FC Koln on October 11, and that was the first time this league season that the club conceded fewer than three goals.

At the other end of the pitch, the hosts have netted seven times in the Bundesliga, which means they have been more prolific than four teams.

Gladbach's record at home has been poor, with the club losing both of their matches at Borussia Park 4-3 this season, whereas they had drawn three and won four of their final seven games at the stadium in 2025-26.

Hoffenheim narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last campaign with their fifth-placed finish, but fighting near the bottom is not a new experience for fans, who saw the club finish 15th in 2024-25.

Head coach Christian Ilzer will highlight that his side have had to deal with the extra workload of playing in the Europa League, though six defeats from eight games this season is still alarming.

The visitors have lost each of their last four games, and they conceded exactly three goals in each of their three most recent losses, and they have been beaten 3-2 four times this term.

Die Kraichgauer will be looking to secure just their second victory in five meetings with Gladbach, who have emerged as winners in two of their past four clashes, including when they won 4-0 in April this year.

Hoffenheim's performances on their travels have been poor, with the club losing three of their four away matches this season, and a defeat on Sunday would be their fourth consecutive loss on the road in all competitions.

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions):

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Team News

Gladbach are still dealing with several injury issues, with forward Franck Honorat and defender Ko Itakura among those set to miss out.

Daiki Hashioka, Kevin Diks and Jan Leszczynski may be trusted to marshal the hosts' backline, while Hugo Bolin, Isac Lidberg and Wael Mohya are candidates for the team's front three.

Hoffenheim know they will not be able to call upon defender Bernardo due to the red card he received last weekend against Hamburger SV, while Albian Hajdari is currently injured.

It would not be surprising if Vladimir Coufal, Ozan Kabak, Koki Machida and Mats Rots played in a four-man defence.

With forward Patrick Wimmer ruled out, perhaps attackers Tim Lemperle and Fisnik Asllani will be paired together up front.

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:

Nicolas; Hashioka, Diks, Leszczynski; Scally, Uno, Sander, Ullrich; Bolin, Lidberg, Mohya

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Coufal, Kabak, Machida, Rots; Conte, Avdullahu, Burger, Daghim; Lemperle, Asllani

We say: Borussia Monchengladbach 1-3 Hoffenheim

Both sides have been poor defensively, and the chances of either team keeping a clean sheet are slim.

Gladbach may be playing at home, but Hoffenheim's record in front of goal is significantly better than their hosts', and an away victory should be considered likely.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.