Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen will look to return to winning ways in the league when they host TSG Hoffenheim at BayArena on Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen dropped important points in their last league outings, and they will be looking to get things back on track when they host relegation-threatened TSG Hoffenheim at BayArena on Sunday.
The home team are second on the points table with 42 points in their 19 Bundesliga outings. They had closed the gap on Bayern Munich thanks to an incredible run of results, but a draw in their last league outing has seen Vincent Kompany’s team establish a six-point lead at the top.
While their last league outing was a disappointing 2-2 draw against RB Leipzig, Leverkusen did defeat AC Sparta Praha 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League last time out. They will be looking to build on it against Hoffenheim.
The visitors are 15th on the table with just 18 points in their 19 outings. Christian Ilzer’s men have been far from their best, and they have only secured four wins so far. However, they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-3 win over RSC Anderlecht in the Europa League.
While their last league outing was a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, they will carry some confidence heading into this fixture against Xabi Alonso’s team thanks to the win in their European outing. It won’t be easy but they will try to put up a fight. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso will be without the services of Robert Andrich, Jeanuel Belocian, and Martin Terrier. Apart from the trio, the Bayer Leverkusen manager does not really have any other concerns against TSG Hoffenheim.
The home side will most likely go ahead with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Lukas Hradecky will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo will feature as wing-backs. They will look to provide significant support to the back three and also contribute to the attacking side of things. In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka will partner with Exequiel Palacios. They will look to control the tempo of the game.
Nathan Tella and Florian Wirtz will be the two attacking midfielders. They will drift wide when needed but their major focus will be to create goal-scoring opportunities. Patrik Schick will be lead the line for Bayer Leverkusen against TSG Hoffenheim this weekend.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Schick
TSG Hoffenheim
The visitors are going through an injury crisis and could be without a total of 14 first-team players for this fixture. Hoffenheim will be without the services of Oliver Baumann, Ozan Kabak, Christopher Lenz, Valentin Gendrey, Alexander Prass, Diadie Samassekou, Anton Stach, Grischa Promel, Pavel Kaderabek, Umut Tohumcu, Andrej Kramaric and Haris Tabakovic.
Hoffenheim will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Luca Dante Philipp should feature in the goal. Arthur Chaves and David Jurasek will be the full-backs, while Robin Hranac and Kevin Akpoguma will feature in the heart of the defence.
Dennis Geiger and Finn Ole Becker will shield the backline. The double pivot will look to ensure the Bayer Leverkusen midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
In the final third, Adam Hlozek and Erencan Yardimci will provide the width to their attacks, while Tom Bischof will be the attacking midfielder. Meanwhile, Gift Orban should lead the line for TSG Hoffenheim against Bayer Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Philipp; Chaves, Hranac, Akpoguma, Jurasek; Geiger, Becker; Hlozek, Bischof, Yardimci; Orban
Key Stats
- Xabi Alonso’s team have been scoring goals for fun in the Bundesliga of late. They have found the back of the net on 25 occasions in their last nine league outings.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won 13 of their 16 home fixtures this season. They have won each of their last eight home games.
- Christian Ilzer’s team have won two out of their last four outings, as many as they had won in their 14 games before this run.
- Hoffenheim have won their last two away games having been winless in the 12 games before that.
- The home team have only lost one out of their last five games with that defeat coming in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
Schick has a total of 18 goal contributions across competitions this season with 14 of those coming in his 13 Bundesliga outings. He has been on the pitch for just 781 minutes in the German top flight and averages a goal every 60 minutes. The 29-year-old will be leading the line for them in this fixture, and he will be hoping to add to his tally.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 TSG Hoffenheim
Bayer Leverkusen might have dropped points in their last Bundesliga outing, but their overall form has been quite exceptional. They should not have much difficulty in going past a struggling Hoffenheim outfit, who will be without 14 first-team players. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-1 win for the home team.