Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier Hernandez. (Photo : Getty Images)
Perennial German top flight contenders Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen are scheduled to take on each other at the Stadion im Borussia-Park on Aug. 27, Saturday to open their respective 2016-2017 Bundesliga season campaigns.
The high-profile match is a highly-anticipated one between two teams that finished fourth and third in the German first division domestic competitions last season. Both squads have qualified in the UEFA Champions League this term because of their high-ranking finishes.
Borussia Monchengladbach defeated SV Drochtersen/Assel, 1-0, in the ongoing 2016-17 DFB-Pokal last Saturday to ready themselves in this clash with Bayer this weekend, as per Soccerway.
The team also squashed Swiss Super League club BSC Young Boys Bern, 6-1, in the Champions League qualifying playoffs on Wednesday before playing their Bundesliga opener.
Head coach André Schubert will be in his second season with Die Fohlen this term and a few of his key players have exited the squad during the summer, namely Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka to English Premier League squad Arsenal, Norwegian midfielder Havard Nordtveit also to another English club West Ham United, while veteran Austrian defender Martin Stranzl had retired.
Schubert added a few pieces, though, such as midfielder Christoph Kramer from Leverkusen and defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Tobias Strobl from Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim respectively.
Meanwhile, Bayer also advanced in the DFB-Pokal with a 2-1 victory over SC Hauenstein at the Sportpark Husterhohe last Sunday, USA Today indicated.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernández will continue to be the focal point of head coach Roger Schmidt's offense this season.
Notable new signings this summer are midfielders Julian Baumgartlinger and Levin Öztunali from Mainz and Werder Bremen, defender Danny da Costa and goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan from Ingolstadt, forward Kevin Volland from Hoffenheim, and defender Aleksandar Dragovic from Dynamo Kyiv.
It would be a quality match between Die Borussen and Bayer as both sides are highly-experienced units which basically kept their core intact this season. However, the latter are the slight favorites to prevail in a close one.
The predicted result is a close 1-0 win by Bayer Leverkusen.
Borussia Monchengladbach starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Sippel; Korb, Jantschke, Vestergaard, Wendt; Hofmann, Kramer, Dahoud; Traore, Hahn, Herrmann
Bayer Leverkusen starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Leno; Jedvaj, Tah, Toprak, Henrichs; Bellarabi, Kampl, Aranguiz, Mehmedi; Hernandez, Volland
