Borussia Mönchengladbach – Bayer Leverkusen
This coming Saturday, the second matchday of the Bundesliga promises to be another thrilling encounter. The highlight of this round will be a Rhineland duel, which will take place at 6:30 pm at Borussia-Park. There, Borussia Mönchengladbach will receive rival Bayer Leverkusen. The hosts are determined to give their supporters a better performance after only managing a 4-4 draw against Augsburg in their opener.
In his debut match at home as head coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Gerardo Seoane now faces his former club Leverkusen. He led Bayer to third place in the 2021/22 season, but last season he was forced to leave after eight matchdays due to a bumpy start to the season.
The Werkself, however, is going into the Rhineland duel with a broad chest. Bayer Leverkusen is considered one of the secret favorites for the championship and also made the perfect start to the Bundesliga season the previous week with a 3-2 win over Leipzig. Whether the Werkself in the second game now directly succeeds in the first away victory of the season, you can find out in our Gladbach – Leverkusen Tip.
Gladbach – Leverkusen info:
- Date & Time: 08/26/2023, 18:30 hrs.
- Conference venue: Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 2
- TV broadcast: Sky
Gladbach form & balance check
Gladbach supporters were literally looking forward to the end of the season last year. For the Foals, it was about nothing in the league for some time. Ultimately, Gladbach ended up in tenth place in the table. Borussia only managed five wins in the second half of the season, which gave fans little reason to be excited.
With the new coach Gerardo Seoane, more stability is now expected to return to the Lower Rhine. Already in the first competitive match of the new season, many mechanisms ran smoothly. Borussia won convincingly 7-0 against Oberliga team Bersenbrück, and the offense also worked well in the Bundesliga opener against Augsburg. Nevertheless, VfL only managed a 4-4 draw.
Cvancara will be missing
In the summer, Borussia Mönchengladbach faced the departure of its top scorer. Marcus Thuram scored 13 goals, Jonas Hofmann, who moved to opponents from Leverkusen, scored twelve times. And the departing Stindl and Bensebaini were also at the top of the scorers’ list.
One of the Foals’ new additions to the offense is Tomas Cvancara. The young Czech joined from Sparta Prague and scored a strong twelve goals in 23 appearances in the domestic league during the preseason. In his Bundesliga debut for the Foals, the 23-year-old also scored twice the previous week. Against the Werkself, however, Cvancara will be out with an injury.
Gladbach facts & analysis
- Last season in tenth place in the Bundesliga.
- Played 4:4 against Augsburg the previous week
- Only five Bundesliga wins in 2023
Leverkusen form & balance check
Under the direction of Xabi Alonso as head coach, Bayer 04 Leverkusen experienced an impressive development in the previous season. At the beginning, under the guidance of new Gladbach coach Gerardo Seoane, things did not go particularly smoothly. However, as the season progressed, Leverkusen steadily gained momentum and worked their way up to 7th place in the table.
This season, the players under the Bayerkreuz once again have the Europa League on their agenda. The Rhinelanders got off to a successful start in the cup with an 8-0 win over Teutonia Ottensen. In the Bundesliga, the players under the Bayerkreuz were also convincing at the start and secured a 3:2 victory against Leipzig.
Hofmann returns
For one player of the Werkself, the Rhineland duel against Gladbach will be a very special match. Jonas Hofmann moved from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and is expected to replace the departing Moussa Diaby.
The 31-year-old was previously active at Borussia-Park for over seven years. During his time with the Foals, the man from the right wing was on the field a total of 214 times in the Bundesliga, contributing 48 goals and 51 assists. In the previous week, Hofmann also scored his first assist in the Werkself kit when he set up Tah’s goal with a corner kick.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
- Placed 6th in the Bundesliga last season.
- Started the new season with two wins
- Won 3:2 against Leipzig the previous week
Predicted lineup – last update on August 24, 2023
For the Foals, we expect a 4-2-3-1 again against the Werkself. The double six of Weigl and Neuhaus will probably not play together again. Accordingly, Itakura will probably operate in central midfield again. Newcomer Tomas Cvancara is out injured.
Against Borussia Mönchengladbach, we expect Leverkusen to again play with the tried-and-tested three-man backfield. In central midfield, Palacios and Xhaka will be looking to confirm their good form from Matchday 1. Newcomer Josip Stanisic will probably not be directly in the starting eleven.
Gladbach – Leverkusen direct comparison & statistics
In 104 encounters so far, these two teams have already met. A closer look at the direct comparison makes it clear that Bayer Leverkusen clearly has the upper hand here. The Werkself has triumphed in 42 games, while Gladbach has recorded 28 victories. In addition, 34 games ended in a draw. The most recent meeting between the two teams resulted in a 2-2 draw.
- Gladbach did not win any of last seven matches against Leverkusen.
- Both stadiums are only 45 kilometers apart.
- Gladbach’s last home win against Leverkusen was on 2018-08-25
