Last season, just three points separated Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach as they finished second and third respectively. Seven games into the new season and currently sitting in 14th, Gladbach welcome Wolfsburg on Saturday as they sit six points behind their opponents.
Both teams lost 2-1 to English sides in the Champions League on Wednesday and will be looking for an important three points in the clash at Borussia-Park over the weekend.
Team News
Borussia Mönchengladbach: After a heartbreaking and narrow loss against Manchester City on Wednesday, Gladbach will aim to continue their recent form in the league as they have won their last two games since Lucien Favre's resignation after the club failed to win any of their first five Bundesliga matches.
A win over Wolfsburg on Saturday could see Gladbach climb up to 11th and Andre Schubert's men may be boosted by the return of Tony Janchtske as he makes his way back from injury. Yann Sommer broke his nose in the dying embers of Wednesday's Champions League game and is set to be sidelined while Martin Stranzl continues his recovery from a fractured eye socket.
Projected XI: Heimeroth; Christensen, Wendt, Nordtveit, Korb; Xhaka, Dahoud, Hermann, Traore; Raffael, Stindl.
Wolfsburg: Dieter Hecking's men allowed a lead to slip on Wednesday against Manchester United and fell 2-1 to continue their dip in form. Wolfsburg have lost two of their last three in all competitions and are in desperate need of a positive result to get back on track in their top four battle.
Luis Gustavo, who missed Wednesday's game due to a knee problem, could return in time for the weekend as well Vieirinha, who has been recovering from a thigh injury. Robin Knoche is the only player who is definitely ruled out and may miss a few more weeks. Wolfsburg have yet to show that they've recovered from the 5-1 thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich two weeks ago which makes Saturday's match even more important than usual.
Projected XI: Benaglio; Träsch, Naldo, Dante, Rodriguez; Arnold, Guilavogui, Caligiuri, Draxler; Kruse, Bas Dost.
Background
Max Kruse, who joined Wolfsburg in the summer from Borussia Mönchengladbach, is expected to line up against his old club on Saturday.
The two meetings last season were split as both sides won 1-0 at their respective home grounds.
Wolfsburg have dominated the fixture in recent years, losing just once in the last five games between the two.
Players to Watch
Lars Stindl: The striker cause Manchester City plenty of problems on Wednesday but his goal against the English side was eventually cancelled out as his side went on to lose 2-1. With two goals in the league so far, Stindl will be hoping to add to that tally on Saturday against a Wolfsburg defence that has conceded eight times so far.
Bas Dost: After bursting on the scene last season, the Dutch striker has continued his form into the new campaign with five goals in seven games. He'll be hoping to capitalise on a defence that has conceded the third most goals this season, 15.