Leverkusen to begin title defence against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Borussia Mönchengladbach sets the stage for the Bundesliga's curtain-raiser against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen, as they look to defy past struggles and make an early statement at Borussia-Park.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach will have the privilege of hosting the Bundesliga's opening fixture when they take on reigning champions Leverkusen this Friday. Despite finishing just one point above the relegation playoff spot last season, Gerardo Seoane managed to keep his position even with multiple managerial changes happening ahead of the new season. However, the pressure is on for him to perform better to secure his place.
Friday’s fixture against Leverkusen will serve as a litmus test for Seoane's readiness. Gladbach made strategic additions in the transfer market, bringing in Tim Kleindienst from Heidenheim, alongside midfielders Philipp Sander from Holstein Kiel and Kevin Stöger from Bochum. Some of these new signings experienced their first competitive match as Gladbach progressed to the second round of the DFB Cup by beating 3. Liga side Erzgebirge Aue 3-1 last Saturday.
Gladbach will aim for a similar result against Leverkusen in the Bundesliga's opening game. However, they face a tough challenge, having gone nine games without a win against the visitors. Their last victory over Leverkusen was in November 2019. Interestingly, the hosts were the last team to defeat a reigning champion on Matchday 1 with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in 2001.
Their last home win against Leverkusen came on Matchday 1 of the 2018-19 season. A formation of 4-2-3-1 with new signing Kleindienst leading the attack is expected for this fixture.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Meanwhile, Leverkusen, who became the first-ever team to go unbeaten across a Bundesliga campaign last season, will be looking to get off to a flying start as they begin their title defence. Die Werkself extended their unbeaten run across all domestic competitions to 41 games after a win over Stuttgart in the DFL Supercup via penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Xabi Alonso was happy to see how Leverkusen held on to their title-winning team while adding Jeanuël Belocian and Martin Terrier, both from Rennes, and Aleix García from Girona to the fold. With the new additions, Leverkusen will be keen to kick off the new campaign with a win.
Doing so would see them extend the run of current champions to go without defeat on Match Day 1 after 22 such games [17W, 5D, 0L]. Alonso is expected to line up the familiar 3-4-2-1 with Victor Boniface in attack.
