German Bundesliga
2010-05-08 - Borussia M`gladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Borussia Park
Saturday, 08th May 2010 – kickoff 15:30
Borussia Monchengladbach
Monchengladbach will probably finish the season at their current 13th place which does not differ much from their plans and season goals prior the start of this season.
Borussia Monchengladbach are the worst away team this season with just two away wins, four draws and eleven losses. Borussia Monchengladbach have also won only two of the last eleven matches (5 defeats and 4 draws).
Last week they were thrashed 6-1 away at Hannover, but that loss was pretty much expected. The team now plays with some players that did not had many chances to play throughout the season. Thorben Marx is back in the starting line up after being absent due to thigh problems and Raul Bobadilla is also back in the attack after serving his one match suspension due to yellow cards. Karim Matmour has complained about muscle trouble last week but he is expected to be in the starting line up as holding midfielder.
This will be the last match of the career for the 37-year old veteran Oliver Neuville who will get a chance to play at some point in the game and will say farewell to the club and fans.
Probable Borussia Monchengladbach line-up :
Levels, Brouwers , Dante , Daems ,
Bradley, Marx, Matmour , Arango
Reus, Bobadilla
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen are placed fourth at the table with 58 points, just two points behind Werder Bremen. In order to reach the third place and qualify for Champions league action, they will have to beat Monchengladbach this weekend and hope that Werder Bremen will lose against Hamburger SV.
Last week they drew 1-1 against Hertha Berlin, a result which probably ended their Champions League dreams but they still need to win if they wish to keep their fourth place as Borussia Dortmund is just one point behind.
The team has been in poor form the last couple of months as they have won only once in the last seven Bundesliga matches (two draws, four defeats).
The first choice goalkeeper René Adler not only that will miss this match through injury but also he will miss the upcoming World Cup. Fabian Giefer is his replacement in the starting line up. This will also be a last match for the midfielder Toni Kroos who played an important role for the team this season and has been a regular starter. He was loaned from Bayern Munich and from the start of the next season, Kroos will additionally strengthen Bayern Munich`s squad.
Probable Bayer Leverkusen line-up :
Sarpei , Reinartz , Hyypiä , Castro ,
Vidal, L. Bender, Kaplan, Kroos ,
Kiessling , Derdiyok
The Betting Verdict
An incredible fact is that Borussia Monchengladbach have not beaten Bayer Leverkusen for 16 years (14 defeats and 11 drawn matches)! The last time Monchengladbach won an official Bundesliga home match dates way back in 1989 when the current coach of the team Michael Frontzeck played for the team.
Monchengladbach need to show better performance in the last match this season in front of their fans after being thrashed away last week, but having on mind the long tradition and the importance of the match for Bayer Leverkusen i expect a win for Bayer Leverkusen, so they will finish the season with a win that, if they get lucky, might get them to the third place.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
