Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen travel to Borussia-Park to meet Borussia Monchengladbach in their opening-day clash.

Last season proved an utter disappointment for Borussia Monchengladbach as they finished 14th in the table, their worst placement since avoiding the drop via the relegation play-offs in 2010/11 (16th). As such, the Foals head into the new campaign with low expectations, albeit confident of pulling off an upset, taking heart from their traditionally inspiring league starts in the 21st century (W9, D8, L5). Indeed, Gladbach were the last side to beat a reigning Bundesliga champion on the opening weekend, squeezing past Bayern Munich 2-1 in 2001/02. They’ve been particularly outstanding in day-on fixtures on home soil (W7, D5, L1), boosting their hopes of avenging a dismal 3-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture last term. Gerard Seoane’s side kicked off the 2024/25 campaign with a 3-1 DFB-Pokal victory against Erzgebirge Aue, reinforcing their quest for a first top-half finish since 2020/21.

On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen got their hands on the third of four possible trophies this calendar year over the weekend with a penalty shootout win against Stuttgart in the DFB Supercup. Xabi Alonso’s side became the first club in Bundesliga history to win the title unscathed last term en route to earning their place in the Supercup fixture. Despite their sterling league record in 2023/24, ‘Die Werkself’ cannot afford to take this trip for granted, considering they’ve lost both Bundesliga openers against Gladbach since 2016/17. Connoisseurs of action-packed football will look forward to this encounter, knowing that none of the last 22 top-flight openers involving a reigning champion have ended goalless. Against this backdrop, Leverkusen and Gladbach shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw in their most recent Bundesliga H2H in January.