Borussia Monchengladbach will host Bayer Leverkusen this Saturday for their first home game of 2022 in Bundesliga.
Venue: Borussia-Park (Mönchengladbach)
Key Statistics
Borussia Mönchengladbach have lost their last three home games (including friendlies).
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine competitive games.
The hosts have collected 64% of their league points so far this season at home, while 58% of their total goals have been scored at home.
Bayer Leverkusen have scored 21 league goals away from home this season. Only Bayern Munich (27 goals) have scored more.
The visitors have conceded 30 league goals this season. No side currently within the top ten in the league have conceded more.
Leverkusen are winless in their last four league games (D2, L2).
Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick boasts the best minutes-per-goal ratio in this season’s Bundesliga (70), ahead of Erling Haaland (76) and Robert Lewandowski (77).
Head to head
Gladbach have lost their last four meetings with Leverkusen.
Overall, there have been 42 meetings between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen. The hosts have won just nine of those games while the visitors have 22 wins. There have been 11 draws between the two sides.
Latest performances in all competitions
Gladbach: W-D-L-L-L
Leverkusen: D-L-D-L-L
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Gladbach began their year in the best possible way as they came from behind to win Bayern Munich 2-1 last week. Goals from Florian Neuhaus and then Stefan Lainer cancelled out Robert Lewandowski’s opener for Bayern Munich before goalkeeper Yann Sommer put in a ‘Man of the Matchday’ performance to ensure that the leaders couldn’t find a way back into the game.
That win was the second time Gladbach had beat Bayern this season after they dismantled the defending champions 5-0 in the DFB Cup in October last year.
With that morale-boosting win behind them, Adi Hütter’s charges will be desperate to pick up another crucial win against one of the league’s big teams.
They currently sit in 12th place in the league standings, six points behind FC Köln, who are occupying the last European spot and seven behind their visitors.
The 22 points they have taken from their league games this season is the fewest they have had at this stage in nine of their last ten campaigns.
Their season’s aim remains to finish within the top six and so they will be desperate to avoid another defeat that will prove detrimental to their aim.
Possible Borussia Mönchengladbach starting line-ups
Yann Sommer (GK); Matthias Ginter, Nico Elvedi, Tony Jantschke; Luca Netz, Christoph Kramer, Florian Neuhaus, Kouadio Kone, Stefan Laimer; Lars Stindl, Breel Embolo.
Injured: Jonas Hofmann
Unavailable (AFCON): Ramy Bensebaini
COVID-19: Denis Zakaria, Mamadou Doucoure, Keanan Bennetts
Suspended: None
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen began the new year with a disappointing 2-2 draw with Union Berlin.
Despite going ahead in the game through Patrik Schick, Gerardo Seoane’s men relinquished their lead thanks to a brace by Union Berlin’s Grischa Prömel. However, Jonathan Tah rescued them as he headed home in the 84th minute to snatch a point for Leverkusen.
The result means that Die Werkself enter this matchday outside of the top four. However, victory over ‘the Foals’ in this game could move the visitors into third, and they will be desperate to take home the maximum points.
But their recent form suggests that they will struggle in this game. They are winless in their last five competitive games and have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games.
However, a record of five wins in their last six visits to Gladbach (L1) will boost their confidence while a record of just two losses in nine away games (W4, D3) will also serve them well going into this game.
Possible Leverkusen starting line-ups
Lukas Hradecky (GK); Mitchel Bakker, Piero Hincapie, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong; Kerem Demirbay, Robert Andrich; Paulinho, Florian Wirtz, Moussa Diaby; Patrik Schick.
Injured: Julian Baumgartlinger, Charles Aranguiz
Unavailable (AFCON): Odilon Kossounou, Edmond Tapsoba
Suspended: None
Prediction
Gladbach 1-1 Leverkusen
