18 January 2025. 7.30pm. Leverkusen. Stade BayArena
Bundesliga. Day 18
Bayer Leverkusen – Borussia Monchengladbach
Absent for the match : Victor Boniface, Amin Adli – Nathan Ngumu, Frank Onora
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen faced significant challenges at the start of this new season, under pressure from the successes of the previous season – a domestic double and an unbeaten run. After their streak was abruptly interrupted by unexpected defeats, Xabi Alonso’s team gradually managed to stabilize.
Now, Bayer appears to have returned to its former glory. The ‘Black and Reds’ have won their last ten official matches in a row, rekindling their 2025 Bundesliga title ambitions alongside Bayern Munich. With 38 points, the Leverkusen club also achieved their third best mid-season record in Bundesliga history, although they are currently four points behind leaders Bayern.
-The reigning champions made sure nothing went wrong in the new year, starting with two wins in two games against tough opponents – Borussia Dortmund (3:2 away) and Mainz (1:0 home ).
Borussia Monchengladbach
In the fall, Borussia Monchengladbach truly reached their best level, losing only one of the nine matches between days 7 and 15 (five wins, three draws). After two victories, the Bas-Rhin team entered the winter break on a promising note. However, following the holiday period, the “Hens” returned in less than ideal form. After a predictable 0:1 defeat against Bayern (the score did not reflect the dynamics of the match), they suffered an unexpected heavy 1:5 defeat against Wolfsburg last Tuesday. Under the leadership of coach Gerardo Seoane, they finished the first half of the season in eleventh place, which clearly did not match the club’s ambitions.
However, there is a ray of positivity ahead of this difficult match against Bayer: Tim Kleindienst, who has been sorely missed in the visitors’ attack, is likely to return to the starting XI after recovering from a gastrointestinal infection. Not only is he Borussia’s top scorer and top assists with nine goals and five assists, but he has also scored in each of the last two Bundesliga matches against Bayer, raising hopes of an exciting clash rather than another disappointment for Monchengladbach, where both teams will play attacking football.
Bayer vs Borussia: Expected Lineups
Bayer vs Borussia: Author’s Prediction
Having won ten official matches in a row, including seven in a row in the Bundesliga, it is fair to say that Bayer Leverkusen have returned to a good level of form this season. The “Black and Reds” also took a full six points at the start of the year and remain in close pursuit of Bayern Munich. Predicting another victory for Xabi Alonso’s side against Borussia seems logical, considering that they are also unbeaten in their last ten Bundesliga meetings against the Monchengladbach club (eight wins, two draws). The start of the year got off to a bad start for Gerardo Seoane’s team, as Borussia suffered two consecutive defeats and therefore finished the first half of the season in eleventh place. The “Hens” have won only two of their eight away matches in the Bundesliga (two draws, four defeats), making their chances of a positive result in Leverkusen rather slim. I suggest betting on a Bayer victory with a handicap of -1.5.
