Hardly any club underwent a more profound squad overhaul than Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer. In Jonas Hofmann, Marcus Thuram, Ramy Bensebaini and Lars Stindl, four key players from recent years departed the club at the same time, while the executive management also implemented a change in the dugout and put Gerardo Seoane, who had previously been in charge of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, in the hotseat.
The season got off to a correspondingly bumpy start for the Foals. They picked up only two points from the first five games and despite having now racked up three wins this season, fluctuations in results are currently the norm. Nonetheless, it is a defining game for Borussia. Were they to win, they would close the gap to Hoffenheim to four points and would be within touching distance of the upper third of the table; a defeat, meanwhile, could see them drop into the bottom third of the table.
But there are also beacons of light amidst the upheaval, such as Rocco Reitz. The 21-year-old, who was recently sent out on loan to Belgian top-flight outfit VV St. Truiden, has developed into a first-team regular and has scored his first two Bundesliga goals in the last two matches.
Gladbach must do without striker Jordan, who tore muscle fibres against Dortmund last weekend.