Bayer Leverkusen can win their first-ever Bundesliga title with a win over Werder Bremen at BayArena on Sunday.
Werder Bremen are all set to hit the road to square up against league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have been unbeaten all season long and have the chance to seal the Bundesliga title with a win in this fixture.
With Bayern Munich playing on Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen will know exactly what needs to be done to seal the league title. If the reigning champions lose, Xabi Alonso’s team will be champions, but if they win or draw, Leverkusen will have to match that result on Sunday.
Leverkusen are top of the table with 76 points in their 28 outings. They have won 24 games and drawn the remaining four. It has been a standout performance by Xabi Alonso’s team throughout the season, and they are within touching distance of the league title.
They are on a seven-match winning streak in all competitions and are heading into this one on the back of a 2-0 win over West Ham United in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final. They have been exceptional throughout the season and will be heading into this one determined to claim all three points.
Werder Bremen are currently 12th in the league with 31 points out of their 28 games. They have been on a disastrous run of late. Their last win came back in February, and if they do not return to winning ways things could get a lot more difficult for them as they only have an eight-point advantage over 16th-placed Mainz.
After being on a run where they lost five league games in a row, they played out a draw last time out and will be hoping to claim all three points here but defeating a team that has not lost all season long looks like a very difficult task. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso is expected to have the majority of his squad available for selection, with Adam Hlozek and Arthur the only two injury doubts. Victor Boniface made his return earlier this week against West Ham United, and he could start in this fixture.
Alonso is expected to stick to the 3-4-2-1 formation, and Lukas Hradecky should be back in goal. Meanwhile, the back three should be made up of Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
The back three will look for a clean sheet and will have the support of Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo, who will feature as the wing-backs. In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios will look to control the tempo of this fixture.
Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann will be the creative forces behind star striker Victor Boniface, who should return to the starting XI, with Patrik Schick dropping to the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Piero Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Hofmann; Boniface
Werder Bremen
Ole Werner’s team will arrive at the BayArena with the objective of spoiling the party, but they will be without quite a few key players. Their skipper Marco Friedl is unavailable alongside Dawid Kownacki, Justin Njinmah, and Skelly Alvero.
Meanwhile, Anthony Jung and Jens Stage are suspended from taking part in this fixture. Niklas Stark and Amos Pieper’s participation is also doubtful. The visitors will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Dudu in goal.
The back three will be made up of Julian Malatini, Christian Gross, and Milos Veljkovic. The trio will look to keep things tight at the back and will have the support of wing-backs Mitchell Weiser and Felix Agu in doing so.
In the centre of the park, Romano Schmid will feature alongside Senne Lynen and Leonardo Bittencourt. They will look to ensure Bayer Leverkusen midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. In attack, Nick Woltemade will pair up with Dawid Kownacki.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Dudu; Malatini, Gross, Veljkovic; Weiser, Schmid, Lynen, Bittencourt, Agu; Woltemade, Kownacki
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have been unbeaten in all competitions since the start of the 2023/24 season.
- After being on a five-match losing streak, Werder Bremen managed to play out a draw last time out.
- Xabi Alonso’s team have won each of their last seven games in all competitions.
- Leverkusen have a 16-point lead over Bayern Munich and a win in this fixture will guarantee them their first-ever league title.
- Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund where the last team to beat Bayern Munich to the league title back in 2012 and Leverkusen are all set to end their dominance.
Player to Watch
Victor Boniface
After a sensational start to the season, Boniface picked up an injury which saw him miss quite a few games. But, now that he is back, the 23-year-old Nigerian sensation is expected to carry on from where he had left.
He played on 14 minutes against West Ham United and managed to find the back of the net. The Bayer Leverkusen ace has 17 goals and nine assists thus far this season, and he will look to add to it when he starts against Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Werder Bremen
While Werder Bremen will give it their all in order to try and spoil the party at BayArena, they are unlikely to trouble them. Bayer Leverkusen have been on another level throughout the season, and they should not have any trouble sealing the league title on their home turf. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Xabi Alonso’s men.
