Breathing space for Gladbach - the Foals fully deserve the points. As for free-falling Hertha, they end a matchday in the automatic relegation zone for the first time since September.

Into the first of five additional minutes at the Borussia-Park. Gladbach on course for their eighth win of the Bundesliga season. Hertha's wait for a win is about to read 10 matches...

Plea's penalty is the difference at the break, but Gladbach should arguably be two or three goals to the good. Big team talk needed in the Hertha dressing room. They've been second best in every department.

Thuram hits the deck after contesting an aerial ball with Kempf. He should be OK, though.

Thuram goes down in the box under Kempf's challenge. Play is initially waved on, before the referee stops play to review the touchline moinitor. Clear penalty. Plea to take...

The last time Hertha went eight matches to start a Rückrunde without a win, they were relegated (1990/91). The Old Lady have claimed just two points across their last seven away Bundesliga games, and won only one of their previous 10 in Mönchengladbach (D2, L7).

Tayfun Korkut's Hertha are winless in eight, losing their last four on the spin. "We need to be more stable and more aggressive, but we can’t forget where the goal is if we want to win games," he stressed. "Gladbach have their problems too – their squad has lots of quality, but the club definitely had different goals at the start of the season. Things aren't going well right now for either side, so we need to take the game to them."

With Adi Hütter in self-isolation following his positive Covid test, assistant coach Christian Peintinger takes charge of Gladbach. "We have obviously been tinkering with a few things during the week, all in close discussion with Adi though," he said. "I won’t be in contact with Adi during the game on Saturday, Armin Reutershahn and I will focus solely on the match. I will definitely be emotionally invested and will try to impact the game positively from the touchline."

Gladbach are almost sitting pretty compared to Hertha’s predicament right now. The Berliners haven’t won a game since stunning Borussia Dortmund in the final fixture of 2021, only managing to pick up two more points in the ensuing eight matches. Last week’s heavy 4-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, coupled with Stuttgart's win over Gladbach and draw with Union, leaves them in the automatic drop zone on goal difference.

Having kicked off 2022 with victory away at Bayern Munich, it looked like Gladbach would move clear of the relegation drama after a tough start to the season. But that hasn’t happened, with Ginter & Co. only managing five points in the seven league outings since, conceding 18 goals in that time. They begin the weekend four points clears of the relegation play-off spot.

Borussia show three changes to the side that threw away a 2-0 lead in defeat to Stuttgart. Jordan Beyer returns in defence, with Ramy Benebaini unavailable. There's a change of system as Christoph Kramer makes way for ex-Hertha winger Luca Netz in midfield. Top scorer Jonas Hofmann misses out, while Breel Embolo leads the line. Hertha still have Borussia Dortmund-bound Marcel Lotka in goal. The Polish stopper has a back three of Linus Gechter, Niklas Stark and Marc-Oliver Kempf in front of him, with Peter Pekarik and Marvin Plattenhardt on the flanks. There’s no Stevan Jovetic or Suar Serdar, though. Ishak Belfodil and Davie Selke are the front two.

Sommer (c) - Beyer, Ginter, Elvedi - Scally, Kone, Neuhaus, Netz - Thuram, Plea - Embolo

Sippel, Friedrich, Kramer, Herrmann, Stindl, Lainer, Benes, Jantschke, Noß

Lotka - Gechter, Stark (c), Kempf - Ascacibar - Pekarik, Tousart, Darida, Plattenhardt - Belfodil, Selke

Christensen, Boyata, Serdar, Ekkelenkamp, Mittelstädt, Richter, Lee, Dardai, Kade

Here you can find all the information about M'gladbach against Hertha Berlin on Matchday 26.