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Bayer Leverkusen – Borussia Mönchengladbach
At the end of the 33rd matchday, the Bundesliga has another Rhineland duel on the agenda for all fans. At the BayArena in Leverkusen, the Werkself will welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:30. The hosts want to make amends to their fans. On Thursday, Bayer 04 narrowly failed to beat AS Roma in the semi-finals of the Europa League. Despite a clear superiority, Leverkusen did not manage to put the ball in the Romans’ goal.
However, the last Rhineland duel will still be very present in the minds of the Werkself fans. A fortnight ago, Bayer 04 lost at home to 1. FC Köln. Against Gladbach, Leverkusen will now be hoping for a significant improvement in form. However, Borussia’s away form so far will not raise any worry lines on the hosts’ foreheads. Gladbach have only recorded one away win so far this Bundesliga season. The last time they had a season with only one away win was in the 2006/07 season, when they were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga at the bottom of the table.
The Foals are not threatened with such a fall this season, but the European places do not play a role either. Instead, Borussia is currently in mid-table and is winding down the season in comfort. In the 2:5 loss in Dortmund the previous week, some VfL players showed that they are currently lacking a certain motivation. Find out whether the Rhineland clash against the Werkself is enough motivation for the Foals in our Leverkusen vs Gladbach tip.
Leverkusen – Gladbach Info:
- Date & Time: 21.05.2023, 19:30 Uhr
- Game venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
- Competition: Bundesliga, 33. matchday
- TV coverage: DAZN
Leverkusen Form & Balance Check
Under the direction of coach Xabi Alonso, Bayer 04 Leverkusen have built up an impressive momentum this season. At the start of the season under the guidance of former coach Gerardo Seoane, the Werkself had surprisingly poor results and only finished 17th in the league after eight match days. But as the season progressed, Leverkusen steadily improved and climbed up the table, currently in seventh place.
Currently, however, Leverkusen seems to be running out of steam. The Werkself has not won any of its last five competitive matches. Bayer 04’s energy also showed in the Europa League on Thursday, where Leverkusen failed to score a goal against extremely defensive Romans. The Werkself’s European journey thus ended in the semi-finals.
High pressure
Leverkusen’s intense style of play is clearly taking its toll on the players. Some players are already showing signs of fatigue towards the end of the season. The upcoming clash against Stuttgart already marks the 48th match of the season for the Werkself.
However, the Werkself squad is not necessarily designed for so many games of the season. There are only a few possibilities for rotation on some positions. Lukas Hradecky, Moussa Diaby and Jeremie Frimpong played their 46th game for Bayer this season on Thursday. And Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba also have just one game less this season.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
- 5 competitive games without a win
- Seventh in the league
- Eliminated in the semi-finals of the Europa League
Gladbach form & balance check
Borussia Mönchengladbach have no further ambitions to fight for this season. The Foals are currently in eleventh place and will finish the season in mid-table. Since their 3-2 win against Bayern in mid-February, the Foals have recorded just two more victories.
One of these victories came in the last home game. Against the relegation candidates from Bochum, Gladbach dominated the match and won convincingly 2:0. The week before, however, coach Daniel Farke’s team fared less well in Dortmund. Against BVB, Borussia suffered a clear 2:5 defeat.
Stindl says goodbye
Lars Stindl, who shone as a substitute in the first leg with two goals, is about to make his 375th Bundesliga appearance. This match will most likely be his last away game in Germany’s top flight. The 34-year-old will move to his hometown club Karlsruhe after the season.
However, with two goals in the last two games, the offensive man demonstrated that he is still important for the Gladbach team. In total, Stindl scored seven times for the Foals this season and set up six more goals.
Gladbach facts & analysis
- In 11th place in the Bundesliga
- Away without a win for seven games
- In 16th place in the away table
Predicted line-up – last update on 19 May 2023
We expect Leverkusen to be back in their usual formation. In the offensive, Florian Wirtz should again provide creative ideas. Schick, Bellarabi, Andrich and Kossounou are out for the Werkself on Sunday.
Gladbach will probably again play in a 4-2-3-1 system. Lars Stindl has recommended himself for a place in the starting eleven with his goal. Alassane Pléa returns after his yellow suspension. However, Ramy Bensebaini will miss out due to a yellow suspension.
Leverkusen – Gladbach direct comparison & Statistics
The previous record between the two teams shows that they have already met in 103 matches. The direct comparison is clearly in favour of Bayer Leverkusen. The Werkself decided 42 games in their favour, while Gladbach recorded 28 victories. In addition, 33 games ended in a draw. The first leg also went in Leverkusen’s favour. In January, the Werkself managed a 3:2 victory at Borussia-Park.
- Leverkusen have won their last six matches against Gladbach.
- When Leverkusen lead 1-0 in home games, they win 81% of matches.
- Hincapié has collected the most yellow cards for Leverkusen (9). At Gladbach it is Manu Koné (11).
- Did you know that Gladbach score 27% of their goals between the 76-90 minute?
