Wednesday night was a historic occasion for everyone involved at Borussia Monchengladbach, as despite losing 2-0 to Real Madrid, a 0-0 draw between Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk meant Marco Rose's team went through in the Champions League. However, they are going to be up against one of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain, so the Foals will be going into their round of 16 affair as heavy underdogs.
As for Hertha Berlin, last Friday seemed like a bit of a turning point in what has been quite a topsy turvy campaign to date. 1-0 down to city rivals Union Berlin, substitute Krzysztof Piatek turned the game on its head, scoring two of the three goals to hand a Hertha a 3-1 win. After significant investment over the summer, much was expected of the Berliners. However, so far it has been slightly underwhelming with a treacherous October somewhat being the reason why they sit in 12th spot going into this contest.
Team news
Borussia Monchengladbach - Ramy Bensebaini remains a doubt due to a fitness issue, while Jonas Hofmann and Tony Jantschke are both out with respective muscle and knee injuries. Both Andreas Poulsen and Julio Villalba are close to a return from their injury problems, though.
Hertha Berlin - The big miss for Hertha this weekend is forward Matheus Cunha, who is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards this season. Meanwhile, Jhon Cordoba, Omar Alderete and Lucas Tousart are all doubts, and Eduard Lowen remains out through injury.
Predicted lineups
Borussia Monchengladbach - Yann Sommer; Stefan Lainer, Nico Elvedi, Matthias Ginter, Oscar Wendt; Valentino Lazaro, Denis Zakaria, Lars Stindl, Florian Neuhaus, Marcus Thuram; Alassane Plea
Hertha Berlin - Alexander Schwolow; Peter Pekarik, Dedryck Boyata, Jordan Torunarigha, Marvin Plattenhardt; Niklas Stark; Dodi Lukebakio, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Tousart, Vladimir Darida; Krzysztof Piatek
Form guide
Borussia Monchengladbach - WWLDL - last game - 2-0 (L) vs Real Madrid
Hertha Berlin - DWLDW - last game - 3-1 (W) vs Union Berlin
Ones to watch
Borussia Monchengladbach - Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria was integral to the Foals before his mid-season injury against Borussia Dortmund last campaign. Now back building up his fitness, the tough tackling midfielder's return could be exactly what Marco Rose's team needs to climb into the Champions League spots. His return will also allow Florian Neuhaus to venture further forward, as he has had to play a slightly deeper role in recent weeks to accommodate Zakaria's injury.
Hertha Berlin - No Matheus Cunha this weekend means the burden will have to be passed on to someone else. The Brazilian has arguably been Hertha's star man since joining from RB Leipzig in January, scoring 11 goals in 21 matches. So, it is up to the likes of Dodi Lukebakio to step up in his place. The young Belgian has shown moments of talent but still remains quite raw and inconsistent. With no Cunha to rely on, can the ex-Watford youngster lead Hertha to victory in Monchengladbach? Time will tell.
Previous meetings
Last years encounter was a special one at Borussia-Park, a 2-1 win for Monchengladbach confirmed that they would be playing in the Champions League for the first time since 2016. Looking further back, it has been a very even fixture with some big score lines; in 2019, Hertha won 3-0 at Borussia-Park while in 2016 a Thorgan Hazard brace helped Gladbach to a 5-0 thumping.
Where to watch
Unfortunately, the game won't be broadcast live in the UK, but those in the United States will be able to watch the contest on ESPN+.
What they have said
Borussia Monchengladbach, Marco Rose - "Hertha BSC have developed in terms of their performances. They have a lot of quality and a good range of age and experience. It will be a difficult challenge, but we will take it on."
Hertha Berlin, Bruno Labbadia - "Gladbach have just played a really intense match, but they are used to that and they have a large squad. It's definitely not a disadvantage for us that they played again on Wednesday, but it's also not a huge advantage."