On August 24th at 2:00 AM, the opening match of the 24/25 Bundesliga season kicks off with reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen visiting Borussia-Park to face Mönchengladbach.
The 23/24 season was phenomenal for Bayer Leverkusen, clinching the Bundesliga title without a single loss in all 34 rounds, and also remaining undefeated in the DFB-Pokal, easily claiming the trophy. The only blemish was their defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final, falling short of a treble. Nevertheless, Alonso’s coaching abilities have been affirmed.
In this summer transfer window, Leverkusen has been efficient, selling Hložek, Azmoun, Penz, and Iker Bravo, recouping nearly 25 million euros. They’ve also brought in Terrier, Alex Garcia, and Bellucci, while retaining Jonathan Tah.
Notably, Wirtz, a super talent, wasn’t poached by other big clubs, thus Leverkusen’s overall strength has actually improved. In the recent German Supercup, Alonso even rested most of his starters, yet they still managed to overturn Stuttgart after Terrier’s red card and clinched the title. They’ve won three trophies in 2024, achieving a domestic grand slam.
Mönchengladbach’s performance last season was mediocre, barely avoiding relegation by finishing fourth from the bottom. This summer, Mönchengladbach made minor adjustments, spending 7 million on forward Klein-Dienges from Heidenheim, 1 million on midfielder Sander from promoted side Kiel, and signing Kevin Stoger from Bochum for free, totaling just 8 million in expenditures, with not much improvement in squad quality.
Both teams played several matches before the Bundesliga began. Leverkusen secured 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in 5 games, with the sole loss being a 1-4 away defeat to Arsenal. They scored 8 goals and conceded 9 in these 5 games, failing to keep a clean sheet in any match, neither attack nor defense is entirely satisfactory.
Mönchengladbach played 6 friendlies, winning 2-0 against Wegberg-Beeck, 3-1 against Fortuna Sittard, 1-0 against Kiel, 3-1 against Ipswich U21, 1-0 against Strasbourg, and 3-1 against Osnabrück. In total, they scored 13 goals and conceded 3, keeping clean sheets in 3 matches, performing decently on paper. However, considering their opponents were not strong, this performance may not be entirely indicative.
Mönchengladbach’s home form is decent, winning 6, drawing 3, and losing 1 in their last 10 home matches. Their last Bundesliga home defeat was a 0-4 loss to Stuttgart in May. Leverkusen’s away record is 5 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in their last 10 away matches, including one Europa League final and a friendly loss to Arsenal 1-4, which can be considered average.
These two are long-standing rivals in the Bundesliga. In their last 10 encounters, Leverkusen has dominated with 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. Since a 1-2 home defeat in November 2019, they haven’t lost to Mönchengladbach in the past 9 meetings. Last season, Leverkusen won 3-0 away and drew 0-0 at home, showing a clear psychological advantage.
Overall, Leverkusen has stronger paper strength and carries the momentum of defending their Bundesliga title, clearly aiming for a strong start. Whether Mönchengladbach can maintain their good form from pre-season and apply pressure to the defending champions will be something to watch.
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