Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Bayer Leverkusen’s quest to dethrone perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich continues at the BayArena against underachieving Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayer Leverkusen fought back twice to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 on hostile turf to solidify their pursuit of a first-ever Bundesliga title, leaving second-placed Bayern Munich four points behind. After continuing their outstanding 18-game unbeaten Bundesliga start (W15, D3), ‘Die Werkself’ return to the BayArena, where they boast a near-perfect top-flight record in 2023/24 (W8, D1). Equally impressive on both ends of the field, they’ve netted a league second-high 29 goals on home soil while conceding a joint-low six. Delivering action from the get-go, the hosts have drawn first blood in all eight home league victories this term, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start. Nothing less would do if they were to extend a three-match unbeaten home streak against visiting Gladbach (W2, D1).

On the other hand, Borussia Monchengladbach squandered a slender halftime lead in a dismal 2-1 home loss to Augsburg last time out, intensifying pressure on manager Gerardo Seoane. Building a head of steam is crucial for bottom-half Gladbach following a sub-par run of one win from their last five league outings (D1, L3). ‘Die Fohlen’ could still make something out of this dreadful campaign, though an eight-game winless H2H run (D1, L7) suggests a resurgence could wait. Indeed, Gladbach slumped to a disastrous 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, while they’ve conceded an average of 3.33 goals per game on their last three Bundesliga visits to the BayArena. As if that’s not troubling enough, their travel sickness has seen them win just once on eight top-flight travels this season (D3, L4).