Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen: Match Preview and Key Stats
In the opening weekend of Bundesliga 2023/24, Borussia Mönchengladbach faces the defending champions, Bayer Leverkusen. Following different fortunes last campaign, this match at Borussia-Park becomes one of the most highly anticipated matches in the opening weekend.
Gladbach's Survival and Summer Reinforcements
For Gladbach, 2023/24 was a season of toil in which they just survived the relegation zone, securing their Bundesliga status only on the final day of the campaign, Matchday 33. Wishing for an improvement in their table position this time around, they have remained quite busy in the transfer market: the likes of Tim Kleindienst, Kevin Stöger, and Philipp Sander are some of the key players who have been roped in. These new recruits stood out right in their DFB Cup first-round victory over Erzgebirge Aue.
Head coach of Gladbach Gerardo Seoane also will be glad to have first-choice centre-back Nico Elvedi back on his return to try and bring an end to Leverkusen's phenomenal 34-game undefeated run in the Bundesliga. In contention is last season's topscorer, Robin Hack, who is fit again following a foot injury that ruled him out for large swath of the preseason. With their attacking game on, featuring Alassane Pléa, Franck Honorat, and possibly new signings, this might just make it a real headache for Leverkusen.
Dominance of Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso
On the other end, Bayer Leverkusen comes into this game high in confidence due to a very successful 2023/24 season, where they won both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. Xabi Alonso's men have already won another piece of silverware this campaign in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart. Patrik Schick came to the rescue by scoring in the final minutes, taking it to extra time and then to a penalty shootout, where Leverkusen finally won.
Aside from again being without Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, and Alejandro Grimaldo in the starting eleven, Leverkusen showcased the depth and resilience of their roster. New signing Aleix García featured high, while only Martin Terrier — sent off in the Supercup — is unavailable for the league. With just Exequiel Palacios out injured, there is a plethora of talent for Alonso to choose from, making it likely that Leverkusen will field the strongest XI possible in this whirlwind encounter.
Match Key Stats
- Defensive Battle: Last season, Gladbach was the only team that Leverkusen failed to score against in the Bundesliga, firefighting the reigning champions to a goalless draw on January 27th.
- Top Goal Scorers: Amidst the Gladbach side, Robin Hack was the top goal scorer last season having netted in ten goals, compared to Victor Boniface's Leverkusen with 14 goals in the bank.
- Shot Involvement: Kevin Stöger—on the books at Gladbach—was involved in more shots on goal than any other player in the Bundesliga last season, totaling 195.
- Leverkusen's Unbeaten Run: Leverkusen has not been beaten in a Bundesliga match since the last day of the 2022/23 season, when they went down 3-0 at Bochum.
- Midfield Maestro: Former Gladbach man Granit Xhaka, nowadays in Leverkuschen's midfield, ranked first in touches (3,588) and second in passing completion rate (92.72%).
Expected Lineups
Gladbach:
- Goalkeeper: Omlin (c)
- Defenders: Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Netz
- Midfielders: Reitz, We
- Out: Palacios (knee)
- Coach: Xabi Alonso
Conclusion
This one is going to be an exciting game. Boas equipes têm muito a provar; o Gladbach quer mostrar que está à altura dos muito melhores, e o Leverkusen quer continuar forte sob a orientação de Xabi Alonso. It is going to be war at Borussia-Park as both set their seasons off to the running.
Stay tuned for live updates and match coverage as we bring you all the action from this exciting Bundesliga Opener!