There is an interesting battle between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen in a North Rhine-Westphalia derby at Borussia Park on Friday at 7:30pm. We take a look at where the value might lie in this Bundesliga clash.

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Borussia Monchengladbach rescued a point in the seventh minute of additional time last weekend in an eight-goal thriller with Augsburg as Tomas Cvancara scored from the penalty spot. Die Fohlen were ahead twice in the match and they almost let it slip had they not been awarded the late spot-kick. This will have certainly given head coach Gerardo Seoane a lot to think about ahead of this derby clash with Bayer Leverkusen. He will be pleased that they didn’t begin the campaign with defeat but he knows they will need to be much better if they are to get anything against Xabi Alonso’s side on home soil.

Alonso gave Leverkusen supporters much to celebrate earlier this month when he signed a new contract with the club until 2026, amidst speculation that he was being monitored by some of Europe’s elite. The former midfielder has made a great impression in his first senior post in management. He inherited the side in 17th position in the Bundesliga table and guided them to a sixth-place finish last term, as well as the Europa League semi-finals.

Die Schwarzroten started 2023-24 with a 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig, who finished third last year. Alonso’s men have certainly laid down a marker with that result and are letting the rest of the division know that they will be challenging higher up the table this time around.

Over 3.5 goals at 6/5

Given that both these teams contested in high-scoring matches on the opening weekend, it seems likely that against one another they could provide a goal-fest. There is a lot of history in this fixture given the rivalry between the two sides and they have both shown that they have goals throughout their squad. They each saw three players get on the scoresheet last weekend and there are still some talented individuals on either side who will be eager to get off the mark in this one.

Bayer Leverkusen and both teams to score (Yes) at 21/10

As previously mentioned, we are expecting bigger things from Leverkusen under Alonso this year and they have the advantage over Gladbach in that they have the same manager from last season which has given them stability. Seoane replaced Daniel Farke at Borussia Park in the summer and he will feel as though he is still getting familiar with his squad. Whereas Alonso knows everything about his troops and has them well-drilled to go toe-to-toe with the very best the Bundesliga has to offer this year. We’re expecting them to prevail in this derby clash but they shouldn’t run away with it.