The German Bundesliga returns on Friday following the winter break, with Bayern Munich hosting Borussia Monchengladbach at the Allianz Arena.
Gladbach claimed a shock 5-0 victory over Bayern in the DFB-Pokal back in October, meaning Julian Nagelsmann’s side will be eager to gain revenge on Friday.
It is worth noting that Gladbach find themselves all the way down in fourteenth place in the Bundesliga standings – just two points clear of the bottom three.
At the opposite end of the table, Bayern are sitting pretty at the summit – nine points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund and a whopping 24 points ahead of struggling Gladbach.
Bayern have lost just one of their 17 Bundesliga games this season and return from the winter break on a five-game winning streak.
When you look at the bigger picture, they have won nine of their last ten Bundesliga matches – and 14 of their previous 16!
With 56 goals to their name, Nagelsmann’s men are the top scorers in the Bundesliga by a considerable margin.
They also boast the joint-best defensive record in the division, having conceded a measly 16 goals in 17 matches.
By contrast, Borussia Monchengladbach are in a real mess at the moment and head into Friday’s clash on a five-match winless run.
They suffered four straight defeats before drawing with Hoffenheim just before the winter break, emphasizing their struggles.
Gladbach have only managed to win five of their 17 Bundesliga game this season, recording four draws and eight losses along the way.
They have also conceded 32 goals this term, meaning they have the third-worst defensive record in Germany’s top tier.
Head-to-head: As we know, Monchengladbach crushed Bayern Munich 5-0 back in October. But a lot has changed since then.
Gladbach have only managed to win one of their last four Bundesliga games against Bayern, with the Bavarians claiming a 6-0 home victory last season.
Team news: Bayern duo Josip Stanisic and Leon Goretzka are sidelined through injury. Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso, Manuel Neuer and Omar Richards are all doubts after testing positive for COVID-19.
Gladbach also have a number of COVID-19 absentees at the moment. In the injury department, Jordan Beyer (muscle) and Jonas Hofmann (knee) are set to miss Friday’s clash.
Regardless of Gladbach’s DFB-Pokal triumph back in October, Bayern should cruise to a comfortable victory on home soil.
Forebet predicts that Bayern Munich will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching struggling Monchengladbach – keeping a clean sheet in the process.