Last season, Borussia Monchengladbach edged Bayer Leverkusen to a top four place by only two points. If that is anything to go by, it certainly gives an idea of how tight and tense the contest could be when they face off at the Bay-Arena.
Many predicted Die Werkself to struggle this season after the departures of Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland. However, Argentinian forward Lucas Alario has stepped up to the plate in the opening months of the season, scoring five goals in six games. Continuing this sort of form will go a long way to helping Peter Bosz's side secure Champions League football.
As for their opponents, Gladbach are coming off the back of their best week of the season so far, beating RB Leipzig last weekend and thumping Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0 in Kyiv on Tuesday night. A hat-trick from Alassane Plea as well as goals from Christoph Kramer, Ramy Bensebaini and Lars Stindl helped seal a remarkable win for Die Fohlen against their Ukranian opponents.
Team news
Bayer Leverkusen - Both Paulinho and summer signing Santiago Arias are out for the foreseeable future with serious knee injuries, while Charles Aranguiz and Patrik Schick stand an outside chance of playing after suffering from respective achilles and thigh injuries.
Borussia Monchengladbach - Andreas Poulsen remains out with a shoulder injury, which he has now had an operation on. Meanwhile, both Denis Zakaria and Julio Villalba are building up fitness before making their potential return to the first team.
Predicted lineups
Bayer Leverkusen - Lukas Hradecky; Lars Bender, Edmond Tapsoba, Sven Bender, Daley Sinkgraven; Kerem Demirbay, Nadiem Amiri, Julian Baumgartlinger; Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey; Lucas Alario
Borussia Monchengladbach - Yann Sommer; Stefan Lainer, Nico Elvedi, Matthias Ginter, Ramy Bensebaini; Christoph Kramer, Florian Neuhaus; Jonas Hofmann, Lars Stindl, Marcus Thuram; Alassane Plea
Form guide
Bayer Leverkusen - WWLWW - Previous Game - 4-2 (W) vs Hapoel Beer Sheva
Borussia Monchengladbach - DWDWW - Previous Game - 6-0 (W) vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Ones to watch
Bayer Leverkusen - Jamaican youngster Leon Bailey broke onto the scene three seasons ago, scoring nine goals while assisting seven. However, in the previous two seasons he has not been able to reach those kind of numbers. Last campaign he was also sent off twice, with one of the red cards coming in the clash with Borussia Monchengladbach. Bailey obviously has undoubted talent, which he showcased on numerous occasions three years ago, but with the likes of Havertz departing it really is his time to step up.
Borussia Monchengladbach - Right back Stefan Lainer often goes under the radar for the Foals. Like manager Marco Rose, Lainer joined Monchengladbach from Red Bull Salzburg last summer and has been a successful addition. Never failing to complete the 90 minutes, the Austrian has been the epitome of consistency since joining and has certainly turned into a fan favourite at Borussia-Park.
Previous meetings
Over the past few years, this has been a tightly fought fixture with both sides taking turns to record victories.
In last seasons contests, Monchengladbach won 2-1 at the Bay-Arena while a Kai Havertz inspired Leverkusen won 3-1 at Borussia-Park after the lockdown period.
Where to watch on TV
The fixture will be live on BT Sport 2 at 17:00 BWT for UK viewers, while those in the United States can watch the game on ESPN+.