Preview:Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Monchengladbach - prediction, team news, lineups

Bayer Leverkusen return to Bundesliga action this weekend as they welcome Borussia Monchengladbach to the BayArena this Sunday evening.

Die Werkself head into the weekend on the back of a thrilling draw with FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, while Die Fohlen enter a new era after parting ways with head coach Gerardo Seoane.

Match preview

Bayer Leverkusen had to settle for a point in their Champions League opener against Copenhagen on Thursday, scoring a stoppage-time equaliser away in the Danish capital.

That was just the second outing for Leverkusen under new head coach Kasper Hjulmand, who is still looking to find his bearings after taking over from Erik ten Hag at very short notice.

The Dane has certainly seen a lot of encouraging signs from his team – none more so than the admirable level of determination to come back from behind on two occasions against Copenhagen.

Hjulmand would have also been impressed with his team’s 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. Leverkusen finished the game with nine men, though it was hard to notice the difference in numbers as the hosts showed plenty of heart in front of their home fans.

Die Werkself have certainly seen a lot of positives since making a drastic managerial change – something Monchengladbach will be looking to replicate after parting ways with Seoane.

Die Fohlen pulled the trigger on the Swiss manager following their joint-worst start to a Bundesliga season since 2015-16 – a start which marked the continuation of a wider 10-match winless run in the competition.

Monchengladbach have failed to score in a single Bundesliga game since the start of the new league season, picking up their sole point in a goalless draw with Hamburger SV on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Since then, Die Fohlen were beaten 1-0 by VfB Stuttgart and thrashed 4-0 at home by Werder Bremen, and they will now be looking for a quick turnaround under interim boss Eugen Polanski – a former Poland international.

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

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Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

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Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

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Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions):

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Team News

Bayer Leverkusen head into Sunday’s fixture without the suspended duo of Robert Andrich and Ezequiel Fernandez.

On top of that, the hosts are also missing the injured pair of Exequiel Palacios (groin) and Martin Terrier (Achilles).

Former Foal Jonas Hofmann joins the absentee list as he continues his recovery from a thigh problem. The current Leverkusen star played for Gladbach between 2016 and 2023, making over 200 appearances in all competitions.

Speaking of Die Fohlen, the visitors are expected to head into yet another fixture without their injured captain, Tim Kleindienst.

Nathan Ngoumou joins that injury list with an Achilles problem, while Warl Mohya (knee) and Niklas Swider (illness) are both doubts.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup: Flekken; Quansah, Bade, Tapsoba; Vazquez, Tillman, Garcia, Grimaldo; Tella, Ben Seghir; Schick

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup: Nicolas; Scally, Elvedi, Diks, Ullrich; Reitz, Sander; Honorat, Reyna, Hack; Machino

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach

Bayer Leverkusen have already been involved in a number of thrillers this season, but we are not expecting Sunday’s game to join that list.

Monchengladbach have been appalling since the start of the season, not only failing to score a single goal but also crumbling defensively. With that in mind, we are backing the hosts to come away with a rudimentary victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.