Football has its fair share of famous rivalries, known in the footie world as derbies. These are the types of games where even if you’re not a fan of a particular league, you will sit down to watch knowing that tempers are flaring, blood is boiling, and that there’s more than points on the line.
Some of the most popular derbies include El Clásico, The North London Derby, Derby d'Italia,
Milan vs Juventus, and the original Klassiker - Bayern Munich vs Borussia Mönchengladbach. One of the Bundesliga's defining rivalries dating back to the start of the 1970s, when these two did battle for the throne of German football and shared eight titles, five of which went to Gladbach.
The two are still prominent factors in the league, even though Gladbach hasn’t won the title since 1977, while Bayern is still a powerhouse, winning the championship for seven years straight.
The two will clash on June 13th as old grudges will reignite,
tactical genius will be on display, and a lot of sweat and tears will be left on the pitch.
The History Behind It All
Both teams won promotion in the top league in 1965. Bayern got the cold shoulder as two years prior, 1986 Munich was chosen to represent the city in the league. The club then was managed by Zlatko Cajkovski, a Croatian that used to play for FC Köln and took the team to third place in their first season.
Gladbach, on the other hand, was under the guidance of Hennes Weisweiler, Cajkovski’s former manager at FC Köln, and it wasn’t before long that they took over the limelight and won the Bundesliga in 1970. The two teams went head to head throughout the decade until Glabdach lost steam as the 80s rolled around.
The June 13 th Game
This is one match
football betting enthusiasts are salivating over. The difference at the table is quite substantial in Bayern’s favor, as Gladbach seems to be more in contention for the number two spot with Leipzig, Dortmund, and Leverkusen. However, they’ve faired quite well against Bayern in recent years. So, it could be an upset in the making.
Everyone is favoring the champion, with most sites giving Bayern more than a 60% shot of coming out on top. Gladbach has won 50% of their last 20 home games and has been in decent form, winning 3 of their last 5, including one draw. While Bayern has destroyed its competition of late, including two impressive wins of 5-0, and 5-2, against Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.
Like we mentioned, an encouraging stat for Gladbach is that in the last 11 head-to-head Bundesliga games they’ve won 5 times, one win more than Bayern, and 2 games ended in a draw. So, the derby does fire up The Prussians.
Players to Lookout For
Of course, fans should always glue their eyes to the
world’s best striker, Robert Lewandowski. The Pole has found the back of the net, an impressive 29 times this year. In comparison, Alassane Pléa and Marcus Thuram have netted 10 goals apiece.
Serge Gnabry is also in good form as the 24-year-old German has 11 goals and 10 assists to his name. The Stuttgart native has grown into a fantastic player after a disastrous spell at West Bromwich Albion, and his market value stands at a whooping €72.00m, for good reason.
A major drawback for Gladbach is the likely absence of their best player, Denis Zakaria. The Swiss international is recovering from a recent knee operation, though rumors say that he’s bound to extend his contract with the team from North Rhine-Westphalia.