TWO teams who have lit up the Bundelsiga this season will square off on Saturday afternoon as Borussia Monchengladbach play host to Bayern Leverkusen.
Both respective sides have given themselves a fighting chance in the chase for Champions League qualification and each team may yet harbour ambitions of gatecrashing the Bundesliga title-race.
Gladbach led the way for eight matchdays earlier in the season and although Marco Rose's men now occupy third-spot, they are only six points off the summit.
The Foals made a flying start to the resumption of the league season last weekend after two early strikes saw them cruise to a 3-1 win away at Frankfurt.
However, Rose and Co's title credentials will face a stern examination this weekend from a slick Bayer Leverkusen side who have been red-hot since the turn of the year.
Peter Bosz's team have taken maximum points from seven of their last nine league fixtures and Die Werkself ended the first round of Bundesliga matches in over two months with a thumping 4-1 win away at Werder Bremen last Monday night.
The Betting Odds
Borussia Monchengladbach claimed all three points from the reserve fixture earlier in the campaign and a repeat on Saturday is at a best 13/10 with Bet 365.
A win for Bayer Leverkusen would see them leapfrog their opponents in the league table and that outcome pays 19/10 with SportingBet, while a share of the spoils is available at 14/5 with BetVictor.
The Betting Angles
This game really could go either way and like most punters I have found myself gravitating towards the goal markets given that both sides have been in sparkling form this season.
However, the bookmakers odds reflect that, with both teams to score as short as 2/5, while over 2.5 match goals is a general 8/15 (and even combining both bets still looks a little skinny at 4/6 with William Hill).
Therefore, I have decided to be a bit more creative by making use of Bet 365's Bet Builder and the combination of both teams to score, over 2.5 match goals and each team to take over one corner takes appeal at 4/5 (Bet 365)
Both sides have made the net bulge in seven of Monchengladbach's last eight games and nine of the Foals last 11 homes have generated over 2.5 goals.
With that in mind, coupled with the fact that 10 of Leverkusen's last 12 matches across all competitions have seen both teams get on the scoresheet, the aforementioned Bet Builder is an alternative angle that I like the look of.
Another combination that catches the eye in a contest that points towards goals is the 10/11 that is available with Paddy Power for 3+ match goals, 3+ match cards and 6+ match corners.
Gladbach games were averaging 3.16 goals per game and Leverkusen league matches were featuring exactly three goals on average before the Bundesliga came to a halt
What's more, both teams average corner counts are coming in at nine and 10 per game respectively and given what's at stake here three or more cards looks fair, not too mention the hosts are one of the most ill-disciplined sides in the division.
That line of thought has also lured me towards a slight long-shot, namely, the 7/2 (Sky Bet ) on offer for both teams to score, both teams 20+ booking points and each team to take 1+ corner in each half.
For reasons already discussed, the above-mentioned bet could be worth a small stakes punt given the array of attacking talent that will be on display when these two attack-minded sides collide in what should be an enthralling encounter.
This German Bundesliga match between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on May 23, 2020 and kick off at 14:30. Check below for our tipsters best Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.