A Bundesliga blockbuster between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich is a fitting way to cap off an action-packed Saturday schedule in Germany’s top flight.
Scepticism has hit an all-time high at Borussia Park after Inter Milan raided Die Fohlen for star duo Yann Sommer and Marcus Thuram in the summer transfer window.
New manager Gerardo Seoane renewed optimism in North Rhine-Westphalia with a scintillating 7-0 rout of lower-league Bersenbruck in the DFB-Pokal on his touchline debut.
However, Seoane’s return to the Bundesliga after Bayer Leverkusen sacked him at the beginning of last season has been anything but plain sailing, with Monchengladbach entering matchday three without a win.
Following a breathtaking 4-4 draw against Augsburg on the opening weekend, the Swiss tactician was humbled by his former employers Leverkusen 3-0 last time out, leaving Gladbach flirting with the early drop zone.
Bayern’s form trajectory has taken an opposite direction as they opened the new season with a demoralising 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup showpiece.
While such a disappointing start threatened to defy our 2023/24 Bundesliga predictions, the 11-time consecutive German champions have turned their fortunes around in league action.
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane scored on his Bundesliga debut as Thomas Tuchel’s side trounced Werder Bremen 4-0 before kicking things off at the Allianz Stadium with a 3-1 demolition of Augsburg.
Match Preview
Monchengladbach’s backline has cracked more times than any other Bundesliga defence this term, putting Seoane under scrutiny after only two league matches.
The last time Gladbach conceded 7+ goals after the opening two Bundesliga matchdays was 1993/94, underscoring the depth of Seoane’s problems.
Rediscovering defensive solidity is mandatory if Die Fohlen are to continue to frustrate Bayern, a side they have not lost to in any of their last five top-flight meetings (W3, D2).
It’s not a pipe dream, considering Gladbach posted back-to-back 2-0 wins in their final two home league outings at the back of last season, albeit those victories came against bottom-half clubs.
Kane ran the show against Augsburg last weekend, scoring on either side of half-time to take the lead in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race from the get-go.
The 30-year-old frontman’s scoring prowess will be in high demand on Saturday as Bayern bid to topple Gladbach at Borussia Park for the first time since March 2019.
Tuchel’s side have since suffered four defeats in five competitive away matches against Die Fohlen (D1), conceding at least three goals on three occasions.
But they’ll be brimming with confidence this weekend after stitching together three successive Bundesliga wins on the road, two of which saw them break the deadlock within the first ten minutes.
Team News
Gladbach will deal with the best German team without several significant first-team figures, including Nico Elvedi, Christoph Kramer, Kouadio Kone, Stefan Lainer and Hannes Wolf.
As for Bayern, long-serving stalwart Manuel Neuer and ex-Borussia Dortmund full-back Raphael Guerreiro are still in the treatment room, along with prodigious forward Jamal Musiala.
Borussia Monchengladbach potential starting line-up:
(3-4-3): Jonas Omlin; Marvin Friedrich, Ko Itakura, Maximilian Wober; Franck Honorat, Julian Weigl, Florian Neuhaus, Joe Scally; Nathan Ngoumou, Tomas Cvancara, Alassane Plea.
Bayern Munich potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Sven Ulrich; Noussair Mazraoui, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Alphonso Davies; Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka; Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman; Harry Kane.
We Say: Borussia Monchengladbach 1-3 Bayern Munich
Checking the history books could raise doubts in the Bayern camp, given that they would realise Gladbach have beaten them more times in the Bundesliga (28) than any other club.
But the home team’s current form should put such fears to rest, while the visitors can always turn to Kane to undo any potential harm Seoane’s attack could do on the other side of the pitch.
