Borussia Monchengladbach are all to set host defending champions Bayern Munich on Matchday 3 of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season.
Bayern Munich will hit the road to square up against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Borussia-Park. The Bundesliga champions have enjoyed a decent start to the new season having won both their opening fixtures and will be eager to make it three in a row. Meanwhile, the hosts will look to secure the first win of the season, having failed to do so in the first two matches of the season.
Borussia Monchengladbach have struggled at the start of the new season. They somehow managed to secure a 4-4 draw on Matchday 1 against Augsburg. But, on Matchday 2, things went from bad to worse as they suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at hands Bayer Leverkusen.
The home team will now be eager to bounce back and win their first match of the season. But, it won’t be easy as they will be squaring up against the champions of last season, who have been in sensational form of late.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich were trailing in the title race towards the end of last season before somehow managing to come out on top. They have carried their form into the new season having won the first two games.
The Bavarian giants secured a 4-0 win over Werder Bremen on Matchday 1. They followed it up with another sensational performance against Augsburg where they secured all three points on the back of a 3-1 win.
Bayern will look to continue their winning streak when they square up against Gladbach. Meanwhile, the visitors will look to script an upset. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Monchengladbach
Gerardo Seoane has quite a few injuries to deal with heading into this home fixture against Bayern Munich. Luca Netz, Nico Elvedi, Hannes Wolf, Christoph Kramer, Fabio Chiarodia and Manu Kone are all out injured. All of them are expected to be back fit for games after the international break.
Maximilian Wober and Joe Scally are both unwell but given the importance of this fixture, they are expected to play a part. While they were smashed at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen last time out, Seoane is still expected to stick to a similar XI.
🗣️ Seoane: “FC Bayern have players of huge quality in every position. There's a lot of talk about Harry Kane of course. He is an extremely reliable striker. This type of player fits perfectly into Bayern’s system and is something they were previously missing.”#BMGFCB pic.twitter.com/Yj389EiOt2
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) August 31, 2023
They are expected to go ahead with the 3-4-3 formation, where Jonas Omlin will take charge in goal. Marvin Friedrich, Kou Itakura and Maximilian Wober will form the back three. While they were far from their best last time out, the trio will expect to put on a better show against the defending champions.
Franck Honorat and Joe Scally will start out wide as the wing-backs. They will look to support the wingers as well as help out their central defenders. Julian Weigl and Florian Neuhaus will take up the central role in the midfield. The duo will look to dictate the pace of the game.
In attack, Nathan Ngoumou and Alassane Pléa will provide the width. The duo will look to drift out wide and swing in balls for their number-nine Tomáš Čvančara.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Omlin; Friedrich, Itakura, Wober; Honorat, Weigl, Neuhaus, Scally; Ngoumou, Cvancara, Plea
Bayern Munich
Gabriel Marusic and Manuel Neuer are both out injured and are unlikely to make a return anytime soon. Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala, Bouna Sarr and Raphael Guerreiro will also not make the trip because of muscle injuries.
While Guerreiro is back on the football pitch, he is expected to be fully fit post the international break. Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to make major changes to the XI that won last time out. He will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Sven Ulreich will be in goal.
Brightening up your TL with some smiley Sané content😁#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/DPKzDUmlK5
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 31, 2023
Noussair Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies will be the full-backs for this fixture. They will have the support of Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano who will start in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich will form the double pivot. The German duo are amongst the best midfielders in the world, and they will ensure Bayern dictate the pace of this game. Meanwhile, Bayern will soon lose a player from the midfield unit, with Ryan Gravenberch close to joining Liverpool.
Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane will start out wide. The duo will look to use their pace and dribbling abilities to trouble the opposition’s defence. They will have the support of Serge Gnabry who is expected to start as the attacking midfielder. Harry Kane will be the leader of the attack. The English international has hit the ground running and is expected to carry on the good work in this away fixture as well.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Goretzka, Kimmich; Sane, Gnabry, Coman; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 18, while Borussia Monchengladbach have won 15 out of the last 50 matches between the two teams.
- The home team have defeated Bayern on 28 occasions in the history of the Bundesliga. This is the best record against the Bavarians in the German top flight.
- Bayern Munich haven’t managed to win any of their last five matches in all competitions against Borussia Monchengladbach.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have suffered a defeat in their first home game of a Bundesliga season for the first time since 2015.
- The home team have already conceded seven goals in just two outings this season.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane has gotten used to life in Germany with ease. The England international has got off to a great start with four goal contributions in two Bundesliga matches. And, he will be eager to keep his goal-scoring streak alive.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker is amongst the best in the world, and he can surely be the difference between the two teams when they square up against each other. He has quite a few world-class creators around him, and they will surely give him chances to get on the scoresheet.
Prediction
Borussia Monchengladbach 0-3 Bayern Munich
Borussia Monchengladbach have got off to a nightmare start in the new season. They have not won any of their two opening matches. And, they are heading into this tough fixture against the defending champions on the back of a 3-0 defeat.
Things are unlikely to get easier for the home team as the visitors, Bayern Munich are in red-hot form. And, they have been scoring goals for fun. The Bundesliga champions will look to make it three wins in a row, and they have all it takes to get the job done. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the visitors.
