Xabi Alonso’s high-flying Bayer Leverkusen will welcome Borussia Monchengladbach to the BayArena, hoping to widen their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Bayer Leverkusen kept their Bundesliga title charge firmly on track on Matchday 18 with a dramatic last-gasp 3-2 away win over RB Leipzig.
Continuing to smash all sorts of records this season, the hosts’ are yet to suffer a single defeat from any of their first 18 Bundesliga games this season and currently sit in the driving seat to get their hands on a first-ever Bundesliga crown as they hold a four-point buffer over defending champions Bayern Munich.
As for the visitors, Gladbach blew away a lead as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Augsburg last time out. That was their third defeat in the past five games, with only a draw and a win in that stretch as they continue their inconsistent ways this season.
Gerardo Seoane’s side currently occupy 12th place in the German top-flight standings, a healthy nine points clear of the bottom three, while their gap to the top six is eight points.
The Foals will be out for retribution after losing 3-0 at home to Die Werkself in the reverse fixture on matchday two in August. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News and Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
A significant number of key players’ absences promise to test Leverkusen’s title credentials. They will once again be without top scorer Victor Boniface, who has missed out on representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations due to injury and could be out until early April.
Leverkusen also had more players called up to the tournament than any other Bundesliga team, with Edmond Tapsoba, Odilon Kossounou, and Amine Adli all competing in Ivory Coast. Exequiel Palacios (muscle) and Jeremie Frimpong (thigh) both picked up injuries against RB Leipzig.
Jonathan Tah is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card, while Arthur will be out for several months after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.
Midfielder Robert Andrich could be called upon to start in the back three alongside Piero Hincapie and Josip Stanisic due to a raft of defensive absences.
Leverkusen are closing in on a loan swoop for Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias, and should he be registered in time, he could even be eligible to make his debut on Saturday. The 31-year-old, with his scoring prowess, could seamlessly fit into Leverkusen’s line-up, although he has been off-colour for Los Verdiblancos over the course of the campaign so far.
Patrik Schick will most likely lead the line for now, with Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann providing support in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Stanisic, Andrich, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Puerta, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Schick
Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Monchengladbach will be without the services of 26-year-old defender Ko Itakura on Saturday evening, with the player away with Japan at the Asia Cup this month.
Likewise, head coach Gerard Seoane will be unable to call upon the likes of Tomas Cvancara (ankle), Jonas Omlin, and Lukas Ullrich (both shoulder) due to respective injury concerns, while Rocco Reitz (muscle) and Maximilian Wober (ill) are both doubtful.
However, after serving a one-match suspension against Augsburg last week, former Borussia Dortmund star Julian Weigl will make a full return here. Defensive midfielder Manu Kone is struggling with a hip issue but is expected to shake it off in time for Saturday’s encounter.
Bagging back-to-back Bundesliga goals since the turn of the year, USMNT international Jordan Siebatcheu will lead Gladbach’s charge in attack alongside partner-in-crime Alassane Plea, who has scored a team-high seven goals and will be hoping to snap a four-game drought on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Nicolas; Scally, Friedrich, Elvedi, Netz; Honorat, Weigl, Kone, Hack; Siebatcheu, Plea
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have won 12 of their last 14 Bundesliga matches.
- In fact, Xabi Alonso’s record-breaking side are unbeaten in all of their first 18 Bundesliga appearances this season.
- With a fearsome reputation for their free-scoring performances in the final third, Leverkusen are second in the Bundesliga in goals scored with 50 in 18 matches.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have picked up just a single win from any of their previous five Bundesliga appearances.
- The visitors have also registered just a single point from their last five Bundesliga away fixtures.
Player to Watch
Florian Wirtz
Needless to say, Bayer Leverkusen have been one of the most impressive attacking outfits in Europe so far this season, and Florian Wirtz has been at the heart of their early season form that sees them top the Bundesliga.
Wirtz excels between the lines, and this is exactly the role that Alonso asks of him—deployed as one of the two advanced midfielders in a 3-4-3 system. He ranks third in the league with 42 chances created, while he also has five goals and six assists to his name, a tally he will be looking to add to this weekend.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Leverkusen can ill-afford a loss against a Borussia Monchengladbach side that has been very unpredictable in recent times. With only a four-point lead at the top, a loss has the potential to turn things upside down, but their last-gasp victory last time out showed they have the resilience and never-say-die attitude to get the job done in whatever way possible. The Hard Tackle predicts a more comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts here.