Borussia M’gladbach vs Bochum

May 24, 2011
By: John Hansen

Thanks to injury-time winner by Igor de Camargo, Borussia gained the upper hand of the tie, as well as put extra pressure on Bochum before the return leg and now Friedhelm Funkel’s side will be forced to adopt a more attacking approach. We should see another close game, but there is no doubt that Borussia are now closer to winning the tie.

Late goal could prove costly

Bochum started this season on the wrong foot, which was hardly a surprise considering they had just been relegated from Bundesliga, but midway through the season Friedhelm Funkel’s side managed to hit the ground running and they have been pretty impressive ever since. A couple of unexpected defeats in the final stage of the season ruled the team out of the automatic promotion places, but three successive wins helped Bochum clinched the play-off spot and earn a tie with Borussia. VFL did well to match their more illustrious opponents during the big course of the game, but the hosts’ domination finally paid off deep in injury time when Igor de Camargo scored the winning goal. Bochum now face an uphill task against in-form Borussia, with the game set to test the players’ ability to play under big pressure. The hosts will be forced to attack at some point of the game, which is something that Borussia can use to their advantage.

Bjorn Kopplin is banned after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season, but Umit Korkmaz and Antar Yahia will be fit to play after shaking off minor knocks. Mirko Aydin should also be in contention, whereas Mimoun Azaouagh will play despite not being fully fit.

Good result for Borussia

Even though it looked as though Borussia were destined for the drop when coach Lucien Favre took over the reigns in February, Die Fohlen showed a massive improvement under former Hertha coach and it was thanks to him that they still have a chance of playing Bundesliga football next season. Favre managed to restore the lost confidence and led his side to 4 wins in last 6 Bundesliga games, which proved enough for the play-off spot. Borussia played really well in the first leg against Bochum and should have taken the lead much earlier, but they will, nevertheless, be happy with the narrow win, especially as they managed to keep fourth clean sheet in last five games. The good defensive performance will allow Die Fohlen to hit Bochum on the break and that looks like a winning formula for the game at Rewirpower Stadium.

Marco Reus is unlikely to feature after picking up a hamstring injury, whereas Jean-Sebastien Jaures, Jens Wissing and Fabian Backer remain sidelined.

Verdict

Bochum clearly face an uphill task after losing 1:0 in Moenchengladbach, especially since Borussia are in great form and brimming with confidence. The hosts have no choice but to attack from the off and that is something Die Fohlen will be looking to take advantage of. I am confident Borussia will go through, but since the odds are really low you should try backing the visitors at level ball handicap.

Our prediction: Borussia M’gladbach with 0:0 Asian handicap

Odds: 1.96 (24/25)

Bookmaker: 188BET

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