Borussia Monchengladbach v Real Madrid: Expect goals in first-half

Borussia Monchengladbach 3.953/1 v Real Madrid 1.9620/21; The Draw 4.131/10
Tuesday 27 October, 20:00
Live on BT Sport ESPN

Real win El Clasico to restore confidence

Which Real Madrid team will turn up for this crucial Champions League clash with Monchengladbach?

Will it be the one that lost at home to Cadiz and then to a Covid-stricken Shakhtar just a few days later? Or will we see a performance akin to the 3-1 victory in Saturday's El Clasico at the Camp Nou?

Zinedine Zidane had better hope that it's the latter option, as his team now have ground to make up in Group B, after their shock 3-2 loss to Shakhtar. The performance against Barcelona offered encouragement, though they were perhaps a little flattered by the scoreline, in a match in which Madrid were rather gifted a penalty by Barcelona, that gave them a 2-1 lead and changed the course of the game.

Monchengladbach also won at the weekend, defeating Mainz 3-2 on the road. That followed a 2-2 draw with Inter in their opening Group B match, with the Italians denying Monchengladbach three points with a late equaliser.

Goals could flow in first-half

Borussia Monchengladbach are unbeaten in five matches (W2 D3). The odds for Real Madrid are tempting considering their extra quality, but Monchengladbach have the ability to make this competitive.

We have yet to see whether Real's El Clasico victory will spark a consistent run, so for now they remain a difficult team to have faith in. Goals would seem easier to predict that the result.

Real have conceded in the first-half in each of their last three games. Monchengladbach's defence continues to be unreliable even in their current unbeaten streak, conceding in each of their last five games. Over 1.5 first-half goals can be backed at 2.35/4.