Score Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen (1-3)

An important and impressive win for Bayer Leverkusen in a sunny Monchengladbach. Kai Havertz scored another two and looked good. He has a brilliant ability to hang between the lines as a number 10 but still make it into the box to offer himself as a number 9. He's one of the big stories of the restart. But it was Sven Bender who got the third goal that wrapped it up. Leverkusen had seven shots on target compared to Gladbach's six but definitely deserve their victory.

Up later today on VAVEL UK, you can follow live coverage of Bayern against Frankfurt.

90' Havertz, on a hat-trick, has a chance to find a third but tries to lift it above the Gladbach offence to give Diaby an opportunity. This result seems pretty set now, although Gladbach are pushing hard.

87' Big, big appeals for handball from Borussia Monchengladbach. The VAR will be checking this. They're screaming at the referee after the ball seemed to hit Kai Havertz's hand. But the referee has word in his ear and continues play.

84' Important save from Hradecky, palming a powerful shot from Wendt with his right hand. Gladbach still just about in this game but there are only five minutes of normal time remaining. 

80' Demirbay sends in a free-kick from the right wing, in line with the middle of the book, and it's a shoulder into the net from Sven Bender. It looked like a header but actually it justs come off his shoulder and goes past Sommer. A bit of daylight for Leverkusen.

74' Chance for Leverkusen to wrap up the game. Individual quality from Diaby who bears down on goal, goes past two, gets a shot away. It's saved but Demirbay hits the rebound over the crossbar.

64' Agonisingly close for Gladbach. Hradecky gets down quickly and blocks a toepoked finish. Gladbach have responded well.

The chest down, the movement into space, the first time finish 👌

Marcus Thuram displaying his catalogue of ability here!#BundesligaIsBack pic.twitter.com/bF93yW7Rmg — 🇩🇪Ja! Watch the Bundesliga live on BT Sport🇩🇪 (@btsportfootball) May 23, 2020

57' Havertz's penalty sneaks through despite a palm from Sommer reaching it. A tough pill to swallow for Gladbach but they made few complaints once the referee had gone to the pitchside monitor. Leverkusen back in front. Not deserved based on this second half, but they were good in the first.

Referee Soren Storks went over to the pitchside monitor and gave the penalty. Kai Havertz has the chance to put Leverkusen ahead.

It's clearly a late challenge, and a pretty bad one, from Elvedi. But it had no effect on the shot from Bellarabi. So the referee has a kind of 'moral' choice on this one. Is it a penalty even though it had no impact on the shot?

PENALTY: Thuram is held back while shooting for Gladbach. No penalty given. But at the other end, Leverkusen have a spotkick now. Elvedi challenges a second or so after Bellarabi gets a shot away (it went wide) and the referee blew for a penalty. VAR checking. A difficult one this.

53' Another good chance for Thura. Hradecky saves well as Thuram is played through. He was being manhandled in the area but no suggestion of a penalty shout.

A 12th goal of the season for the young Frenchman Marcus Thuram. A vital goal for the home side and a fantastic finish. A long clearance from Sommer is chested down by Thuram. He allows his teammates to continue the build-up, gets into a good space and then it's a wonderful finish, on the half volley past from Hradecky. A really excellent finish.

45' We're ready to go again. Gladbach to kick-off in their sunny home stadium in front of 13,000 cardboard cut-out fans. Leverkusen were definitely the better side in the first half and should lead by two goals but this second half should be interesting. Lars Stindl gets us back underway.

Havertz's early goal has Leverkusen in front but it should be two really. I've no idea how Demirbay didn't score just a few moments ago. But Leverkusen have been good and Havertz excellent.

44' Incredible chance for Leverkusen. They absolutely should be ahead. Havertz hits the bar with a shot from the left. Demirbay should tap home the rebound but he waits, delays and Elvedi comes in with an extraordinary goalline clearance. Astonishing.

40' Chance for Gladbach! Hradecky was finally given something to do and he did it well. Got down twice to deny shots in quick succession. Leverkusen survive their first scare.

36' After weeks without football, you hope you get to see a good team play when it returns. Leverkusen are that team. Some lovely possession play, and not that much cutting edge in the last few moments but they're threatening with Bellarabi, Havertz and Diaby.

30' Half an hour in, it seems fair to make some kind of comment on how this compares to 'normal' football. It does just seem a little slower. That's not to say they're not going for it, they are. But there's a sense every so often that the tempo drops. Perhaps it's just that with a crowd we don't notice these as much. Anyway, Leverkusen are playing the better football.

27' Though Gladbach had a small spell in front of the Bayer goal, it's all the visitors again now. They're playing some nice football. Havertz was just fouled on the box but the referee played a slightly delayed advantage which allowed Bellarabi to cross from the right. Blocked again, though.

25' Another nice move from Leverkusen. Havertz involved again and Bellarabi does well to keep the ball but can't find Diaby on the left wing. Lainer blocks a cross well and from the corner, Bender shoots hard but over.

22' Another opportunity to Leverkusen. Havertz broke free on the left wing, moved past his marker but had too few teammates to aim in the box. He held the ball up well but ultimately only Bellarabi could make it up into the box to meet him and it wasn't enough. 

14' Gladbach have woken up now with Marco Rose having a few words. Their starting to assert themselves in attack a little more but no proper chances as of yet.

7' It was a lovely move from Leverkusen to open the scoring. And Havertz's finish was so satisfying. He let the ball come across him a bit, had a quick glance up and sidefooted casually past Yann Sommer. A fast start.

An excellent finish from Kai Havertz. His excellent re-start to the season continues. His third goal of the week. Demirbay plays it forward, Bellarabi gives it to Havertz and it's a clinical first time finish from the 20-year-old.

Yann Sommer forced into his first save after a lovely run from Demirbay, jinking between two or three Gladback defenders. The power was taken out of his shot a little by a slight deflection and was never a challenge for Sommer.

13,000 cardboard fans have made the, erm, trip for today's game. Each fan paid €19 so Gladbach have raised a decent amount of money for charity with this initiative.

Not only is the sun shining on this 2:30pm kick-off, but the cardboard cut outs actually look pretty good. They give the stadium a slightly less surreal feel to it, although when you think about it may be even stranger than an empty arena.

We're underway in Monchengladbach. Leverkusen's Diaby has given away a foul early on. Leverkusen in red, Gladbach in the white home strip.

No handshakes or official 'walk-outs' for the teams today, of course, but there will be a minute's silence to remember those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus. The players have gathered around the centre circle, a couple of metres apart from each other, and have their heads bowed.

€19 it costs to have yourself printed as a cardboard cutout and placed in a seat at today's stadium. Not sure how much noise these cardboard fans will make, maybe the occasional rustle in the wind.

Marco Rose's Gladbach side are without Johnson and Zakaria but start with the French duo of Thuram and Plea after they found goals last weekend.

Captain Bender and top goalscorer Kevin Volland are out for Leverkusen with injury but it's an exciting attack led by Kai Havertz who is just as in-form as the rest of his side.

Hradecky; S. Bender, Dragovic, Tapsoba; Weiser, Aranguiz, Demirbay, Sinkgraven; Bellarabi, Havertz (c), Diaby

 

Subs: Özcan, Tah, Paulinho, Bailey, Amiri, Alario, Baumgartlinger, Wendell, Wirtz

Sommer (c); Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Strobl, Neuhaus; Hofmann, Embolo, Thuram; Plea

 

Substitutes: Sippel, Kramer, Herrmann, Raffael, Stindl, Traore, Wendt, Benes, Jantschke

Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for this Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen match.

The last time that the two met, Gladbach were 2-1 victors in Leverkusen, with the home side having a man sent off.

Gladbach have won three of the past five matches whilst Leverkusen have won the other two.

If you want to watch the game on TV, your options are: BT Sport 2

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Hradecky; Weiser, Tapsoba, Bender, Sinkgraven; Aranguiz, Demirbay; Diaby, Amiri, Wirtz; Havertz

Sommer; Rainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Neuhaus, Strobl; Plea, Hofmann, Thuram; Embolo

Lars Bender and Kevin Volland will miss this afternoon’s game.

Florian Wirtz made his first ever Bundesliga start last weekend and might feature again.

Leon Bailey and Karim Bellarabi could come into the starting XI, although Moussa Diaby is likely to keep his position.

Gladbach will be without Denis Zakaria and Fabian Johnson who missed last weekend’s tie, but the Foals did not pick up any new concerns in Frankfurt.

Philipp Hofmann came on as a substitute and may start, although it is likely that Rose will chose the same starting lineup.

The front three of Alesanne Plea, Marcus Thuram and Breel Embolo should all start this afternoon 

This game will be very important in both side's bids for Champions League football next year, with Leverkusen one point outside of the UCL places

The Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen match will be played at the BORUSSIA-PARK, in Monchengladbach, Germany. The kick-off is scheduled at 14:30 BST.

Welcome to VAVEL.com's LIVE coverage of the 2020 Bundesliga match: Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen. 

Your host for today's action is Harry Robinson, but first here's Adam Millington to provide you with some build-up and context on what should be a thrilling game. He'll provide you with pre-game analysis, team updates and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.