Başakşehir and Gladbach want to make up for MD1 defeats

Manuel Veth –

Başakşehir vs Gladbach – Thursday, October 3, 17:55BST/18:55CEST – Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu, Istanbul, Turkey

Başakşehir vs Gladbach will take place at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

It was a poor start to the Europa League campaign for Başakşehir. The club from Istanbul suffered a 4-0 defeat on the road to Italian giants, Roma.

Başakşehir qualified for the Europa League after narrowly losing out on the title to city rivals Galatasaray. Perhaps it is the hangover of losing out on the title, but the Istanbul-based club had a poor start to the season collecting just eight points out of the first eight games.

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At least on the weekend Başakşehir had something to celebrate in their 5-0 win over Caykur Rizespor. That result took some pressure of Istanbul’s newest club and somewhat made up for the club’s 4-0 defeat in Roma.

Having to make up for a poor Europa League start will be Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Foals committed the unforgivable German football sin by losing to Austrian opposition.

The 4-0 home defeat to Wolfsberger AC was Gladbach’s biggest home defeat in Europe. Results in the league, however, have been somewhat better.

A 3-0 away victory over Hoffenheim means Gladbach are currently in fifth-place after matchday 6, just one point behind league leaders Bayern Munich. That victory meant that Gladbach, for the first time, started a season with three victories on the road.

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Nonetheless, the club is not 100% happy with results at this point. “The structure in defence could be better,” sporting director Max Eberl said after the game. “But it is nice to win and still see room for improvement.”

Perhaps playing on the road will also aid in Gladbach’s quest to collect their first three points in the Europa League. Anything but a victory would not only be a surprise but also would put a major dent into Gladbach’s Europa League campaign.

Başakşehir vs Gladbach – Players to look out for:

Fredrik Gulbrandsen #9 – Başakşehir

Fredrik Gulbrandsen will be meeting his former boss on Thursday. The Norwegian striker played for Red Bull Salzburg last season but joined Başakşehir this summer on a free transfer. Without a goal, until this weekend the 27-year-old finally scored this weekend in his club’s 5-0 victory over Rizespor and will be especially motivated against his former boss Marco Rose.

Fredrik Gulbrandsen of Istanbul Basaksehir F.K. during the UEFA Europa League group J match between AS Roma and Istanbul Basaksehir F.K. at Stadio Olimpico on September 19, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Stefan Lainer #18 – Borussia Mönchengladbach

Stefan Lainer has become a link-up player for Gladbach. The Austrian right-back is solid in defence and dangerous when going forward. “Stevie plays back and forward, sets accents, that is his game,” Rose said. “He always tries to get quickly forward.” His athleticism on the right makes Lainer an important player for Gladbach, someone who allows the three strikers to overload the centre because Lainer will be manning the flanks and provide dangerous assists.

Stefan Lainer of Moenchengladbach runs with the ball during the UEFA Europa League group J match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Wolfsberger AC at Borussia-Park on September 19, 2019 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Başakşehir vs Gladbach – Match Stats

• İstanbul Başakşehir’s only past matches against German opposition took place in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage, a 3-1 defeat in Hoffenheim followed by a 1-1 draw at home salvaged by Edin Višća’s added-time equaliser.
• Likewise, Gladbach have only faced Turkish opponents twice before, losing 2-4 at home to Fenerbahçe in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage but winning the return 3-0 in Istanbul on matchday six to join their already-qualified hosts in the round of 32.
• The Istanbul club have won just two of their ten European home fixtures (D4 L4), scoring eight goals and none in the last two. They are undefeated at home, however, in the UEFA Europa League group stage (W1 D2).

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Başakşehir vs Gladbach – 1-3

Başakşehir vs Gladbach – Lineups

Başakşehir:

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Günok – Clichy, Epureanu, Skrtel, Júnior Caiçara – Tekdemir – Gulbrandsen, Aleksić, Kahveci, Visca – Crivelli

Head Coach: Okan Buruk

Borussia Mönchengladbach:

Formation: 4-3-1-2

Sommer – Wendt, Ginter, Elvedi, Lainer – Kramer, Zakaria, Neuhaus – Embolo – Plea, Thuram

Head Coach: Marco Rose

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others contributes to Forbes.com and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently splits his time between Victoria, BC and Munich, Germany.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.