Bayern Munich will be keen to keep the heat on Bayer Leverkusen as they face Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday night
Defending champions Bayern Munich will be keen to keep up the pressure on Bayer Leverkusen when they take on bogey side Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday afternoon.
Die Roten have defeated Die Fohlen just once in the last six meetings, a rather curious stat given the former’s dominance in the German top flight. Thomas Tuchel’s men have racked up 47 points in their opening 19 games, the most of any side occupying second spot at this stage of a campaign.
Bayern Munich trail Bayer Leverkusen by a mere two points and will hope to re-take top spot, other results willing, on the night. However, despite Gladbach’s poor season, they have the propensity to annoy teams. They did Bayern a favour by holding Bayer Leverkusen to a 0-0 draw last time around and will now hope to further influence the title race.
With Bayer Leverkusen set to welcome Bayern Munich on February 10, this weekend’s games take precedence in what should be a tight Bundesliga title race. Given the drama we saw play out last season, there should be plenty of excitement for the neutrals.
The Bavarians won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier this season and will hope to do the double over their rivals on the day. After all, Bayern have not defeated Gladbach at home for two years in a row now. Whether that number will become three for the first time in Bayern’s history in this fixture remains to be seen.
Gerardo Seoane and Co. will be pumped up following their point against Bayer Leverkusen and will hope it is a turning point in their season. They are in the midst of their worst run of results in 13 years and will hope to put as much distance between themselves and the drop zone as possible. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
The Bayern Munich treatment room has the guise of a well-stocked grocery store, and several players are dealing with injury setbacks. The latest name on the list is that of Kingsley Coman, the French winger who could be out for the season.
He joins the likes of Konrad Laimer, Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano, Daniel Peretz, Tarek Buchmann and Bouna Sarr on the sidelines. German attacker Serge Gnabry is back in training, but it is unlikely that he will be thrust straight back into the starting XI.
Kim Min-jae is away at the AFC Asian Cup, while Noussair Mazroui might not be rushed back into action. This could very well see January signing Sacha Boey take to the field. Meanwhile, Tuchel is likely to go with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Manuel Neuer in goal. He will be protected by the back four of Sacha Boey, Eric Dier, Matthijs De Ligt and Alphonso Davies.
Raphael Guerreiro is likely to partner Leon Goretzka in the double pivot, aiding the home side in seizing control in the middle of the park. Thomas Muller should don the number 10 role, while Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane should provide the width. Harry Kane is a shoo-in up front and should lead the line for Bayern Munich against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Probable Lineup(4-2-3-1): Neuer; Boey, Dier, de Ligt, Davies; Goretzka, Guerreiro; Musiala, Muller, Sane; Kane
Borussia Monchengladbach
Die Fohlen have struggled for consistency this season and will hope to upset Bayern Munich yet again. They have avoided defeat in both of their recent visits to the Allianz Arena and will hope to extend that run to three for the first time.
The visitors will be without Tomas Cvancara, Lukas Ullrich and Jonas Omlin. Meanwhile, Ko Itakura is away at the AFC Asian Cup. Patrick Herrmann is a doubt for the match, and it remains to be seen if he will make the cut. It is not all bad news as Maximilian Wober is likely to return.
A 3-5-2 appears to be Gladbach’s formation for Saturday. However, given that Bayern Munich are likely to control the pace, the visitors should be expected to revert to a 5-3-2 on Saturday. Gladbach dug deep against Bayer Leverkusen and will hope that lightning strikes twice.
Moritz Nicolas should start in goal behind the back three of Joe Scally, Nico Elvedi and Maximilian Wober. The duo of Luca Netz and Franck Honorat should occupy the wing-back spots and are more likely to drop deeper to form a flat-back five.
Julian Weigl should hold the fort in the middle of the park with Rocco Reitz and Manu Kone alongside for support. They will hope to get the ball up to the attacking duo of Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu and Alassane Plea.
Probable Lineup(3-5-2): Nicolas; Scally, Elvedi, Wober; Honorat, Reitz, Weigl, Kone, Netz; Siebatcheu, Plea
Key Stats
- This is Bayern Munih’s 112th game against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. Only Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen (114) has been played more times in the tournament’s history.
- Failing to win on Saturday will see Bayern Munich go three games at home in a row without a win against Monchengladbach, their worst-ever run against Die Fohlen.
- Bayern Munich have won just one of their last six games against Borussia Monchengladbach.
- Monchengladbach have secured just 21 points from 19 games, their worst such return at this stage for 13 years.
- Bayern Munich have scored 56 goals in the Bundesliga this season, the most potent attack in the league.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The England skipper has filled the void of a serial goalscorer at the Allianz Arena. He is the pivotal point in Thomas Tuchel’s frontline, and a fruitful day out for him should reflect well for the team’s results.
Kane has scored 23 times and assisted five more goals in 19 Bundesliga games this season. Ending their hoodoo against Gladbach will go a long way in easing Bayern’s path to securing yet another league title. With the English marksman in their ranks, they have a difference maker who should need just one opportunity to ripple the back of the net.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Die Roten will be up against a buoyant Gladbach team still revelling in the draw against Leverkusen. Missing key players is unlikely to help them. But Bayern Munich still enjoy a significant advantage when it comes to personnel. We do not expect it to be easy going but Die Roten’s quality should see them home in the end.
