Borussia Mönchengladbach will host 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC at Borussia Park for a second-round DFB-Pokal match.
Gladbach has experienced a challenging start to the season, remaining without a Bundesliga win since March and currently sitting at the bottom of the table. Interim coach Eugen Polanski, who took over from Gerardo Seoane following a 4-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen last month, has yet to change the team's fortunes. The recent 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich extended their winless streak to 15 league matches.
Gladbach's sole victory this season came in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, where they defeated Atlas Delmenhorst 3-2 away. The team will look to leverage the match against second-tier opposition as a chance to improve their results.
In terms of team news, Gladbach will be missing Nathan Ngoumou, Robin Hack, and Tim Kleindienst. Jen Castrop, however, is available despite receiving a red card during the weekend, as the suspension applies only to Bundesliga matches.
The predicted lineup for Gladbach is a 4-3-3 formation: Nicolas; Scally, Elvedi, Diks, Ullrich; Reitz, Sander, Engelhardt; Castrop, Tabakovic, Honorat.
On the other hand, Karlsruher SC arrives with a positive outlook after a 4-1 victory against Greuther Fürth last Friday, marking their first away win since a 5-0 triumph over ZFC Meuselwitz in the DFB-Pokal in August. KSC is aiming to position itself as a promotion contender in the 2. Bundesliga after falling short last season.
Currently seventh in the table, KSC is four points shy of the promotion spots, having secured five wins from their first ten matches. While their attack has been impressive with 17 goals, their defense remains a concern, having conceded 13 goals, the same as Hannover among the top seven teams.
With Gladbach's current form in mind, KSC aims to pull off an upset during their trip from Baden.
In team news for KSC, Sebastian Jung and Louey Ben Farhat are unavailable, and Marcel Franke is facing a late fitness test. Christoph Kobald and Egloff will also be evaluated after leaving Friday's match due to injury.
The expected lineup for KSC is a 3-5-2 formation: Bernat; Scholl, Rapp, Beifus; Pedrosa, Opitz, Burnic, Wanitzek, Herold; Förster, Schleusener.
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