Bayer Leverkusen, the reigning Bundesliga champions, are set to host RB Leipzig at the BayArena this Saturday for their first home game of the 2024-25 season. Both teams, who will soon be competing in the newly-expanded Champions League, last faced off in January, where Leverkusen emerged victorious with a 3-2 win on Leipzig's turf.
Leverkusen had a remarkable season last year, securing the Bundesliga title without a single loss and adding the German Cup to their trophy cabinet, though they narrowly missed out on a treble after losing in the Europa League final.
They've started this season strong, winning all three of their opening matches across different competitions. Their season began with a penalty shootout win over Stuttgart in the DFB-Supercup, followed by a thrilling 3-2 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in their Bundesliga opener.
Notably, Leverkusen scored 18 goals in added time last season, and they continued that trend last weekend when Florian Wirtz scored after initially missing a penalty in the 101st minute.
On Wednesday, Leverkusen advanced to the second round of the DFB-Pokal by edging out fourth-tier Carl Zeiss Jena with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a goal from Jonas Hofmann. Head coach Xabi Alonso acknowledged the challenge of playing against such a spirited side and admitted that there are areas for improvement in the coming weeks.
Despite this, Leverkusen extended their impressive domestic unbeaten streak to 43 games and will be confident heading into Saturday's match, having won their last three Bundesliga encounters with Leipzig.
On the other hand, RB Leipzig kicked off their season with a 4-1 comeback win against lower-league Rot-Weiss Essen in the DFB-Pokal and followed it up with a narrow 1-0 victory over VfL Bochum in their Bundesliga opener.
Summer signing Antonio Nusa has made an immediate impact, scoring twice in two matches, including the winning goal against Bochum. However, Leipzig had to hold on with ten men after Willi Orban was sent off late in the game.
Leipzig's coach, Marco Rose, was pleased with the win but acknowledged that there's room for improvement in all areas of their game. Leipzig is now unbeaten in their last 12 Bundesliga matches, though they face a tough challenge against Leverkusen, who hold the league's longest unbeaten run of 35 games.
Leipzig's away form last season saw them score in all but one match, though they’ve struggled defensively, conceding in each of their last 14 away Bundesliga games and failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 20 away games across all competitions—both unwanted club records.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Bayer Leverkusen are still without midfielder Exequiel Palacios, who’s sidelined with a knee injury. Defender Odilon Kossounou has also moved to Atalanta BC on loan with an option to buy.
Jonathan Tah has been linked with a move away from Leverkusen, but he might still play in the three-man defense alongside Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie. New loan signing Nordi Mukiele from PSG could make his debut as well.
Expect Lukas Hradecky, Jeremie Frimpong, Alex Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka, Victor Boniface, and Florian Wirtz to be back in the starting XI.
On the Leipzig side, Xaver Schlager is out long-term with an ACL injury, and Assan Ouedraogo is expected to be out for a few more weeks due to a knee injury he picked up in pre-season.
Chad Bitshiabu might not be fit for Saturday’s game as he recovers from a hamstring issue, and Orban will be missing due to suspension. This means Lukas Klostermann might step in as a center-back next to Castello Lukeba. It’s also uncertain if Mohamed Simakan, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, will be included in the squad.
Eljif Elmas and Christoph Baumgartner are back from their knee injuries and should be available to play against Leverkusen.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Boniface
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Klostermann, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Seiwald, Kampl; Haidara, Simons; Openda, Sesko
EXPERT PREDICTION
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 RB Leipzig
Last season, Leverkusen and Leipzig combined for ten goals over their two matches, so we could be in for another thrilling game on Saturday.
Leverkusen managed to beat Leipzig twice last season, and with Alonso’s team having rested several key players in midweek, they’re likely to have the edge at home again.
