Bundesliga Champion Bayern Munich Rides Out League Slate vs. Monchengladbach
Bayern Munich will be looking to extend their 20-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table on Saturday evening when they host Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The Bundesliga leaders are coming into this game off the back of a 0-0 draw against Sevilla in midweek, which saw them advance to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Gladbach hope to close the gap to seventh-placed Hoffenheim as they head into the last seven games of the 2017-18 Bundesliga campaign.
Classic Encounter
The two sides met in an enthralling clash on the final day of the 2012-13 Bundesliga season.
Gladbach raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening five minutes, with Martin Stranzl and Mike Henke both getting their names on the scoresheet early on.
Just two minutes later, it was 2-1 as Javier Martínez pulled a goal back for Bayern. Amazingly, only 10 minutes had been played when Gladbach added a third, through Håvard Nordtveit. The game would not settle just yet, as Franck Ribéry fired in another goal within the first 20 minutes. Finally, things settled down a little and Gladbach went in 3-2 ahead at half time.
However, a quick fire double from Bayern in the second half undid all of Gladbach's fantastic work early on, seeing Jupp Heynckes' side come away with a 4-3 victory.
Key Battle
Robert Lewandowski vs Jannik Vestergaard
Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski is on sensational form for Bayern Munich this season, having scored 26 goals in 26 Bundesliga games so far this season. All in all, Lewandowski has scored 35 goals in 40 games across all competitions.
He poses a stern test for Gladbach defender Jannik Vestergaard, who is expected to take up his usual position in the center of a back three. The 25-year-old has 10 caps for the Danish national team and has played 214 games in his club career, with all of them coming for Bundesliga sides. The defender has plenty of experience in this league, but will still be in for a tough evening on Saturday.
Team News
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (foot) and midfielder Kingsley Coman (ankle) are out injured for Bayern Munich. Otherwise, manager Jupp Heynckes has a fully fit squad to select from.
Gladbach have a longer injury list, with five players set to be unavailable for the clash against the Bundesliga leaders.
Julio Villalba, Mamadou Doucouré and Reece Oxford are all ruled out with muscle injuries; while Fabian Johnson (back) and Patrick Herrmann (knee) will also be unavailable.
Predicted Bayern lineup: Ulreich; Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels, Rafinha; Martínez; Robben, Müller, James, Ribéry; Lewandowski.
Predicted Gladbach lineup: Sommer; Ginter, Vestergaard, Elvedi; Cuisance; Hofmann, Wendt, Kramer, Zakaria; Stindl, Raffael.
Prediction
With Bayern's 20-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga table, it looks difficult to see any other result than a home victory against eighth-placed Gladbach.
Barring Neuer and Coman, the German champions have a fully fit squad and Lewandowski is on superb form. It seems as those the hosts will have too much for their visitors on this occasion.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
