Borussia Mönchengladbach: Ngoumu's return to the cup squad is cause for celebration

Mönchengladbach's French striker is back in the squad for the first time since November

Marcus Thuram's departure from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Borussia Dortmund has left a big hole in the squad. Head coach Daniel Farke is forced to make do without his top scorer for the time being. But he can at least count on Manu Koné and Mamadou Doucouré again after their injury breaks. And there is another returnee: striker Nathan Ngoumou is back in the squad for the first time since November.

Ngoumou was out for two months with a muscle injury

The 23-year-old had sustained a muscle injury in training at the end of November and had been out of action ever since. In the meantime, he has worked his way back to full fitness and is now ready to help his team again. "Manu and Mamadou are back, Nathan is back in the squad for the first time, so that's good news," said Farke at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Ngoumou has made 10 appearances for Gladbach this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists. He is likely to start on the bench against Darmstadt, but he could be an important option for Farke in the second half.

Gladbach are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup

The Foals are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup for the first time since 2019. They face Darmstadt 98 in the second round on Wednesday. The match will be played at the Borussia-Park in Mönchengladbach.

Gladbach will be confident of victory against Darmstadt, who are currently 14th in the Bundesliga 2. However, they will need to be wary of the underdogs, who have already knocked out Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in the first round.

A place in the quarter-finals would be a welcome boost for Gladbach, who have had a difficult season so far. They are currently 10th in the Bundesliga, and they were knocked out of the Europa League in the group stage.

Reaching the latter stages of the DFB Cup would give Gladbach something to play for in the second half of the season. It would also be a good opportunity for Ngoumou to show what he can do.