Bundesliga: Streaky Leverkusen Will Challenge Gladbach at Borussia Park

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen

It’s going to be a fun battle at Borussia-Park as Borussia Monchengladbach entertain Bayer Leverkusen for their 16th match of the 2022-23 campaign this Sunday evening.

This Bundesliga match pits together two teams that are looking to secure a European spot. And both Gladbach and Leverkusen still have ground to make up if they are going to get there.

Gladbach are ahead for now since they’re in eighth place with 22 points, while Leverkusen are in 12^th with 18 points, although they can enter the top half of the standings should they win this match.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds predict a tight affair, and hopefully, we’re going to see several Bundesliga 2023 highlights from these two sides.

Talking Points

Losing Sommer might prove costly for Gladbach

Gladbach are now facing the prospect of life after Yann Sommer, as the veteran goalkeeper left to join Bayern Munich earlier this week. Bayern Munich were scouring for goalkeeping reinforcements when Manuel Neuer injured his leg, and now they have their man in the Swiss international.

With Sommer no longer with the club, Jonas Omlin is expected to take his place, but he is still unproven at this level compared to his fellow Swiss.

The Foals haven’t kept a clean sheet since mid-September, and the loss of Sommer is going to exacerbate their defencive issues.

Daniel Farke is also concerned about the fitness of his top scorer, Marcus Thuram, who has 10 goals so far – tying his personal best single-season goal haul from 2019-20.

Thuram was rediscovering his form late last year, but his knees have flared up again, so Alassane Plea might replace him up top if he’s not available. Plea has been one of their best wide playmakers this season, with two goals and seven assists.

Jonas Hofmann is also going to shoulder the heavy load for Gladbach if Thuram does not play. The Foals are fortunate to have the youngster on form, as no German player contributed to more Bundesliga goals than him (19) in the 2022 calendar year.

Wirtz might be the missing link for Leverkusen

Die Werkself are determined to move up to the top half of the table, and they’ll need all hands on deck.

Moussa Diaby, Jeremie Frimpong, and Kerem Demirbay have been key cogs for Xabi Alonso, as they’ve accounted for 16 goals and 10 assists this term. All of them should start on Sunday.

But things are going to get even better for Leverkusen as Florian Wirtz is now 100-per cent fit. He missed almost a year because of a torn ACL, and he might come off the bench for this contest.

Xabi Alonso is understandably hyped to have Wirtz back, as the 19-year-old impressed in their mid-season friendlies. The Spanish gaffer even likened his wunderkind to Lionel Messi.

Wirtz was considered as one of the most promising players in Europe after he was named newcomer of the 2021-22 Bundesliga season. He has tallied 10 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions last term.

History

Leverkusen certainly like this matchup since they’ve won their last five league meetings against Gladbach – their longest winning streak against any Bundesliga side currently.

Die Werkself have also scored more Bundesliga goals versus the Foals than against any other club (152). Since getting promoted to the German top-flight in 1979, Gladbach have given up more league goals versus Leverkusen than against any other side.

But the Foals have been superb at Borussia-Park this term, winning 82-per cent of their points at home so far (18 out of 22). Only RB Leipzig (19) have gained more points at home this Bundesliga season.

Xabi Alonso’s side has won three consecutive Bundesliga games, which is more than they had managed in the first 12 games of this season (2). During the said stretch, Die Werkself tacked on as many points as they had in the first 12 matchdays combined (9).

Betting Tip

Leverkusen and Gladbach are not far off from each other in the Bundesliga 2023 odds. Given their recent success, the visitors were priced higher at 2.40, while hosts Gladbach are installed at 2.66 in the 1X2 market.

It’s tough to separate these two sides since they look evenly matched on paper, so we’re inclined to recommend a draw at 3.60. Nonetheless, we expect to see goals from both clubs considering their defencive deficiencies.

As alternatives, Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.07 is another safe betting option, while going for Over 2.75 @ 1.71 is also not a bad idea.

 

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