Arminia Bielefeld, the lowest rated team remaining in the competition, takes on Borussia Monchengladbach at home in the DFB Pokal quarterfinals.
As a third division team, Bielefeld made history with their 3-1 win over Werder Bremen in the last round of the DFB Pokal, after previously defeating Hertha Berlin via penalties. The home side is obviously not a joke, which can be confirmed by their dominance in the third league this season – first place, 6 points clear at the top. Their quality is obviously Zweite Bundesliga level, especially their offensive football is really solid, but even so it will be a huge challenge to take on a side like Gladbach.
Borussia is flying high right now, looking more and more likely to finish on a Top 4 spot, maybe even Top 3 and achieve direct qualification to Champions League. The visitors recorded 5 wins and 1 draw in the last 6 matches, with the last two performances particularly impressive – a 2-0 win at Bayern and a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim. They haven`t lost a game since February and are playing arguably the best football they have played all season on both sides of the pitch.
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Team news & lineups:
Arminia doesn`t have new notable injuries or suspensions, while Borussia Monchengladbach will continue to miss Strantz. Coach Favre could choose to rotate the squad a little bit, as Dortmund will come to town on Saturday.
Arminia Bielefeld: Schwolow – Schuppan, Dick, Salger, Burmeister – Junglas, Schütz, Ulm, Müller – van der Biezen, Klos
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Sommer – Jantschke, Dominguez, Brouwers, Wendt – Nordtveit, Xhaka – Herrmann, Hazard, Traore – Hrgota
Even if Gladbach rotates the lineup a bit, it shouldn`t be an issue for them – we are not talking about wholesale changes, but only a rotation of 2-3 players – and with the likes of Hazard and Hrgota set to come in, there`s really not a big difference. Arminia Bilefeld is one tough side and they will protect home court advantage with all their got, but Monchengladbach is simply too strong right now. Borussia is at a different level than anybody Arminia met in years and an upset seems very unlikely to happen. It`s important that Bielefeld does concede goals and so they will be exposed to a good attacking team like Gladbach – it`s a factor that could be the difference maker. Arminia’s strength lies on the offensive end of the pitch, but against a top, in form team, that might not be enough to create chances.
Look for the visitors to get the lead at some point, and than find another 1 or 2 goals when Arminia gets restless and hopeless. My tip is GLadbach to win with a -1 asian handicap. Prediction: Arminia Bielefeld – Borussia Monchengladbach 0-2.
Pick: Monchengladbach (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.93 @ Bet365
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 9.3
Event date: 8 April
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