Borussia Monchengladbach have been woeful this season in defence, conceding the second-most goals in the league, with 38.
The Foals’ defence will be put to the test against Bayer Leverkusen, who are the second-best scoring club in the Bundesliga.
Putting in a shift 🏃♂️👊#Bayer04 #Werkself pic.twitter.com/LMyqT8Wkfo— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 23, 2024
Putting in a shift 🏃♂️👊#Bayer04 #Werkself pic.twitter.com/LMyqT8Wkfo
The German rivals will meet on Saturday, with Bayer Leverkusen having the chance to increase their lead over Bayern Munich in the title race.
Leverkusen pulled off a dramatic 3-2 win over RB Leipzig a week ago, which put them seven points ahead of Bayern.
That points gap could be reduced depending on Bayern Munich’s result against Union Berlin in midweek. The Bavarians will play their game in-hand.
Borussia Monchengladbach are 12th in the Bundesliga standings, with 20 points from 18 matches. Just nine points separate Borussia Monchengladbach and the bottom three.
Gladbach took seven points from their last six matches in the division. They were outscored 11-10 in those six games. The Foals defence has been poor this season, allowing the second-most goals, 38.
Bayer Leverkusen are on a four-game winning streak. They tallied 11 goals across their last four matches, conceding only two goals. The Company XI kept three clean sheets during that time frame.
Xabi Alonso’s team is the best home side in the division. They posted a record of eight wins and one draw in nine matches at the BayArena. Bayer Leverkusen scored 29 times at home, while conceding six times.
Gladbach lost their last three matches on the road in the Bundesliga. They conceded 23 goals away from Borussia Park.
Bayer went unbeaten in their last six matches versus Gladbach. Earlier this season, Leverkusen eased to a 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.
Victor Boniface scored twice on either side of a Jonathan Tah goal. Bayer had the game wrapped up after 53 minutes.
Leverkusen kept 60% possession in the match. The Company XI are the league’s best possession team, with 59.1% per match. Meanwhile, the free-scoring team averages 17.1 shots per game, the second-best in the Bundesliga.
Alonso will have some personnel issues this weekend. Tah will be suspended for the game. Fellow defender Edmond Tapsoba is away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Amine Adli is also away at AFCON.
Full-back Jeremie Frimpong could miss the game due to a thigh injury. Boniface is expected to miss the game due to a face injury.
Gladbach are coached by former Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane. He could be without Max Wober due to an illness. Hannes Wolf is ruled out with an injury. Meanwhile, Ko Itukura is away on international duty.
Our betting prediction for Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach is for the former to pick up a big win. Our algorithm predicts a 3-0 win for the league leaders at home.