The game is arguably far more important to Lucien Favre’s side who have enjoyed an impressive campaign and are one of four clubs still in with a very realistic chance of winning the Bundesliga title (8/1 Outright).

Borussia Dortmund lead the way, while Bayern Munich sit one place and one point behind second-placed Monchengladbach with Schalke a point further back in fourth ahead of this weekend’s round of matches.

Therefore it is imperative for Monchengladbach to take full advantage of a home clash against a mid-table Hamburg side to keep pressure on their rivals before their respective matches.

The signs look promising for the hosts as they have won four and drawn one of their games since returning from the winter break, while they have only conceded 13 times – the best in Europe.

However, Favre will be forced into making one change from the side which defeated Kaiserslautern 2-1 after right-winger Patrick Herrmann fractured his clavicle during the match.

Therefore, the influential 13-goal Marco Reus is set to move out wide to deputise, leaving Igor de Camargo and fit-again striker Mike Hanke in the centre of attack.

Hamburg are currently sitting just below mid-table and are ten points behind fifth-placed derby rivals, who they crashed to a 3-1 home defeat against last weekend.

Time is running out for Thorsten Fink’s side to get the points on the board to push for a place in European competition next season so they will be desperate to avoid defeat.

Hamburg are set to be unchanged from that defeat to Bremen as Gokhan Tore remains sidelined so Jacopo Sala will get the nod on the right side of midfield.

The visitors will not be too daunted about the trip to Monchengladbach given that they have performed better on the road this term with four wins under their belts.

And, while their overall recent form is inconsistent, they have picked up maximum points in their previous two away games at FC Cologne and Hertha Berlin respectively.

Hamburg also won on their previous game at Borussia Park 2-1 in December so know what it takes to put one over on their hosts.

Looking to the game and, with Monchengladbach in such a rich vein of form and very strong defensively, you have got to fancy them to nick this one by the odd goal.

Prediction: Home 90 Minutes @ 8/11
Value Bet: Monchengladbach To Win 1-0 Correct Score @ 6/1

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The key for Fulham is to ensure they stay in the tie and give themselves a big chance in the return leg. It’s crucial in European two leg football to avoid conceding a two-goal lead in the first leg. Fulham’s only real problem in their journey from the preliminary rounds came when they went down 3-1 to Juventus.

The Cottagers produced something special to overturn that deficit but still needed a large slice of good fortune as Juve were reduced to first ten, and then nine men. The chances of the team managing another comeback of that magnitude would be slim- especially as Europe is now wise to their quality.

You Can Bet On This Match: Hamnburg v Fulham
For Roy Hodgson, a win in Germany would be huge, a draw would be excellent but any defeat limited to a single goal would still be satisfactory. The manager is likely to use Bobby Zamora to occupy the Hamburg defence and string five across midfield- Zoltan Gera and Damian Duff will be asked to get close and support their top scorer when possible.

Hamburg have some serious attacking talent and a massive incentive as the final will be held at their stadium. In January they acquired Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Real Madrid and the Dutchman is still a predatory striker.
Hamburg boss Bruno Labbadia can pair him with Mladen Petric, the hard running, combative forward who caused Steve McClaren’s England such problems in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, or Swedish player Markus Berg who has shown his best form in Europe this year.

“They’ve had success if we talk about Bayern Munich and Hamburg, even teams like Dynamo Dresden way back,” he said. “The success of German teams goes back very far. If you’ve ever seen them play you’re aware of the strength of German football so, if you get drawn with one, you know it’s going to be a tough game, ” says Roy Hodgson.

Pulling the strings in midfield is Czech playmaker David Jarolim who has been with the club since 2003 and exerts an influence similar to Danny Murphy in the Fulham ranks. Both players are excellent passers who can calm the side and bring shape to the game.

Defensively Hamburg are built around Dutch centre back Joris Mathijsen and can put out a back four of international players. Fulham will hope to snatch at least one away goal but even the in-form Zamora has his work cut out.

After removing Shaktar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg successively, Fulham will not be intimidated; they should certainly keep the tie alive but it would be no surprise to see Hamburg take a single goal lead to the return. A 1-0 (5.50) or 2-1 (8.00) defeat would still be a good night’s work for Fulham.

Related posts:

1. Europa League Predictions: Fulham Can Hold On At Wolfsburg
2. Liverpool, Fulham Europa League Semi-Finals Preview
3. Europa League Predictions: Fulham Can Squeeze A Draw Out Of Shakhtar

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