Matchday 20 in the German Bundesliga sees rock-bottom Darmstadt looking to put a spanner in Bayer Leverkusen’s title charge when they host the league leaders at Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 2 offensive side in the Bundesliga will lock horns with one of the worst defensive teams in the league when Bayer Leverkusen make the trip to SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday afternoon.
League leaders Leverkusen could only manage a 0-0 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend to see their advantage dwindle to just two points ahead of Bayern, with the top two set to face each other in a mouthwatering clash at the BayArena on February 10.
Nevertheless, Leverkusen kept their unbeaten record intact, as they have yet to suffer a defeat and have won 15 of their 19 league games so far in the campaign. In fact, Die Werkself have not lost any of their 28 fixtures across all competitions this term, as they remain the only unbeaten side in Europe’s top-five leagues.
As for Darmstadt, they may have secured a historic Bundesliga return for this season. But it is no surprise that the Lilies are touted as a major relegation contender in 2024. Torsten Lieberknecht’s side are currently at the bottom of the standings with 11 points on the board from their 19 league outings, having recently put up another lifeless performance in a 1-0 loss to fellow strugglers Union Berlin.
The hope of avoiding the drop is not lost yet for Darmstadt. But they will have to get their act together with less than half the season remaining as they are already six points adrift of top-flight safety.
Bayer Leverkusen recorded a 5-1 victory over Darmstadt in the reverse fixture back in September, and the visitors will be heavy favourites for this encounter for sure. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Darmstadt
Darmstadt will be missing the services of Marvin Mehlem (broken leg), Mathias Honsak, Aaron Seydel (both calf), Fraser Hornby, and Braydon Manu (both ankle) due to injury.
The injury list has only been growing for Torsten Lieberknecht’s side, with Fabian Nurnberger and Clemens Riedel being forced off with ankle injuries in the narrow 1-0 defeat at Union Berlin last weekend. Riedel fractured his ankle last weekend and will be out for several months, while Nurnberger is a major doubt for this game.
Emir Karic and Christoph Zimmermann are likely to come in place of Riedel and Nurnberger and form part of a transitional back-five, which becomes a three-man defence when attacking. As far as the double pivot in the centre of the park is concerned, Bartol Franjic will pair up with Fabian Holland. Winter recruit Julian Justvan and top scorer Tim Skarke will start on either flank, with Patric Pfeiffer leading the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Schuhen; Zimmermann, Gjasula, Klarer; Bader, Franjic, Holland, Karic; Justvan, Skarke; Pfeiffer
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios picked up a groin injury against RB Leipzig and will join Victor Boniface (groin), and Arthur (thigh) on the sidelines, while Odilon Kossounou is still away representing Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli could both return to the fold, with Burkina Faso and Morocco suffering knockout exits at AFCON. Goalkeeper Matej Kovar was handed his Bundesliga debut in place of skipper Lukas Hradecky last time out. And while he kept a clean sheet, Alonso has confirmed that the latter will return in goal on Saturday.
Jonathan Tah could also return at the back after missing the Gladbach game through suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards. So, Robert Andrich could drop out from the back three, comprising Piero Hincapie and Josip Stanisic.
Borja Iglesias has joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan from Real Betis and could be in contention to make his debut on Saturday. But Patrik Schick will most likely lead the line, with Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann providing support in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Stanisic, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Schick
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen are undefeated in their last 19 Bundesliga matches.
- Darmstadt have failed to win their last 12 Bundesliga matches.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last four matches against Darmstadt in all competitions.
- Leverkusen is second in the Bundesliga for goals scored with 50 in 19 games, while Darmstadt rank 18th in goals conceded with 47 in 19 games.
- Nine of Leverkusen’s 15 victories this season have come by a margin of at least two goals.
Player to Watch
Alejandro Grimaldo
Alejandro Grimaldo has turned out to be one of the greatest bargains of the season, with the free-transfer summer signing making a massive contribution to Bayer Leverkusen’s title challenge. The Spaniard’s stellar contribution includes seven goals and nine assists in the Bundesliga, an extraordinary feat for a full-back. He is Bayer’s second-best scorer after the injured Victor Boniface, with seven goals.
Prediction
Darmstadt 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen will be motivated by the prospect of proving that the draw against Borussia Monchengladbach last time out was nothing more than a minor blip. So, Xabi Alonso’s men are understandably favourites to claim maximum points against Darmstadt.
Die Werkself have been scoring goals for fun so far this season, netting at least two or more goals in each of their last 12 matches, and we expect them to have more joy in the final third against a leaky Darmstadt outfit away from home.
