It has been a rollercoaster campaign for Borussia Monchengladbach so far. A disastrous start saw them fail to win any of their first eight league matches to start the season, which left them bottom of the table in October. A three-game winning run suggested they might have turned a corner, but that optimism has faded quickly. Gladbach have now won just one of their last eight Bundesliga matches, with performances again slipping below the required level.

Worryingly, Gladbach haven’t put up much of a fight against the stronger German sides, which doesn’t bode well for them here. Defeats to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim, and Stuttgart, who all currently sit in the top four, underline how difficult those matchups have been.

Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen are in a stronger position, sitting sixth in the league following back-to-back league wins. In the reverse fixture, Leverkusen generated 1.46 xG to Gladbach’s 0.81 xG, and were unfortunate to be held to a 1-1 draw in the end.

Chances were available at both ends of the field in that one, as Leverkusen registered nine shots on target, to Gladbach’s seven. Two impressive performers were the goalkeepers - Mark Flekken and Moritz Nicolas combined for 13 saves, highlighting how there really should have been more goals.

It was a similar story when these sides last met at Borussia Park last season, with seven saves from Jonas Omlin in goal for Gladbach, and five saves from Lukas Hradecky for Leverkusen preventing the scoring from getting out of hand. Even still, that game finished as a five-game thriller, with over 2.5 goals also landing in the reverse fixture.

Leverkusen come into this clash in good form, and have cleared this line alone in their last three matches. They beat Villarreal 3-0 in the Champions League to close out the league phase on a high, before beating Frankfurt 3-1 last time out in the league.

Alex Grimaldo played a key role in that one, as he provided the assist for Arthur to open the scoring.

The Spaniard has been an important player for Leverkusen this season, coming straight back into the starting eleven after recovering from injury. In the last seven games, he has racked up a total of 15 shots, landed this bet in five of those, and has added two goals.

Despite being listed as a left wingback on paper, Grimaldo is afforded plenty of license to attack and should find himself involved high up the pitch. He has shown a tendency to drift into the final third, preferring to pick up promising positions rather than holding a strict defensive position.

He is averaging 2.1 shots per 90 across all competitions and will also be the designated free-kick taker for his side.

It could be a busy night for Yannick Engelhardt in midfield, with Leverkusen drawing an average of 11.3 fouls per game, rising to 12.0 when playing away. Malik Tillman has been the main contributor to that record, averaging 1.57 fouls drawn per 90.

He was fouled twice against Frankfurt in his last league game, and four times before that in the Champions League. Operating in an advanced midfield position, the USA international should find duels against Engelhardt.

The German international tends to be strong in his challenges, which bodes well for this selection here. He racked up three infringements in his last match against Werder Bremen, taking his average to 1.73 fouls per 90 for the season.

In addition, he is averaging 1.84 tackles per 90 across all competitions, highlighting a willingness to duel. Engelhardt has 13 fouls in his last four starts alone, and has landed this selection in each of those games.