Bundesliga preview and tips: Borussia Monchengladbach v RB Leipzig – February 3 – Borussia-Park, Monchengladbach
It will be a Bundesliga battle of two equal teams. Both Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig have come out disappointing clashes last weekend. While Monchengladbach lost 0-2 to a much superior Eintracht Frankfurt which is understandable, last season’s runners-up RB Leipzig didn’t justify their present 5th spot on the Bundesliga table by drawing to relegation candidate Hamburger SV 1-1, embarrassingly enough in a home game.
Meanwhile, Monchengladbach have been intermittently losing matches of late, something that has kept them tied to the 6th and 7th places while Leipzig have slipped from a vaunted 2nd spot a couple of months ago, thanks to just a solitary win earned for their previous 7 games. Leipzig have been good at dominating proceedings but are falling short on the goal-scoring front. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been heavily depending on their star striker and German international, 21-year old Timo Werner, to do the scoring who already has 14 to his name.There’s not been much support coming from the other forwards Jean-Kevin Augustin and Bruma, both of whom have managed just 3 goals this season.
For Monchengladbach, the likes of Thorgan Hazard and Raffael have been good in the current season with 7 goals apiece, but their faltering form of late has been of some concern. The Northern German side has lost as many as four of their last seven outings. They face similar problems of finishing as Leipzig and have resorted more to defending and hitting on the breaks in their recent outings, in addition to losing out on ball-possession quite often. Since the brilliant October phase where they bested teams like Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund, Dieter Hecking’s men have not won any game against a top half team. However, a much better record at home could give them a slight edge when they host RB Leipzig on February 3rd. Leipzig’s away performances don’t inspire much confidence among their followers, having lost half of their 10 Bundesliga fixtures on the road in the 2017-18 season. Both teams have scored an aggregrate of around 30 goals after 20 games which is low by any standards for teams in the Top half of the table.
Since RB Leipzig’s dramatic maiden entry into the Bundesliga in the 2016-17 season, they have played Monchengladbach thrice and are yet to lose a game. But bookmakers are giving the hosts the faintest of edges as the odds below suggest, which is why a draw seems to be the most logical result. Their last game in September 2017 ended in a 2-2 stalemate and one can expect a similar result on Saturday.
Recommended Tip: BTTS YES, Best Odds 4/7 @ Betfair Sportsbook