in what could be a decisive fixture in the race for Champions League football, Bayer Leverkusen will face visitors Stuttgart at BayArena in their 16th Bundesliga game of the season.
Third-placed Leverkusen have 29 points following their 3-1 triumph against RB Leipzig prior to the winter break, but their position in the top four is by no means secure given their sixth-placed opponents have 26 points.
Match preview
Just four points separate the hosts from seventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, while they are only three points from second-placed Borussia Dortmund, and it would not be surprising if the race for top four went down to the wire.
At the halfway stage of the season, Leverkusen are three points worse off than they were in 2024-25, and they have scored four fewer goals (33) and conceded one fewer (20).
Head coach Kasper Hjulmand has overseen an unbeaten period of three games heading into the weekend, with his side looking for a third consecutive success.
Die Schwarzroten netted seven goals in their last three fixtures, as many as they had in their previous five games, though they have only kept one clean sheet in their past five league outings.
Leverkusen’s performances at home in the Bundesliga have largely been positive considering they have claimed three points in five of their eight top-flight matches at BayArena this term, losing on just two occasions.
© Imago / Pressefoto Baumann
Stuttgart earned a point when they drew 0-0 with fifth-placed Hoffenheim on December 20, and that was the fourth time in five Bundesliga matches that they failed to win,
Die Roten were beaten twice in that five-game period, with the team netting eight times and conceding 10 goals, though they have kept two successive clean sheets.
Boss Sebastian Hoeness will hope that he can guide his side to their first win against Leverkusen since April 2018, a stretch in which they were beaten in nine clashes while settling for stalemates on six occasions.
Stuttgart have triumphed in three of their last four matches on the road, and they have in fact only been defeated in one of their past five away from home.
Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:
Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):
Stuttgart Bundesliga form:
Stuttgart form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago
Leverkusen are looking lighter up top than ideal this weekend, in the absence of left-winger Eliesse Ben Seghir, attacking midfielder Ibrahim Maza and 19-year-old striker Christian Kofane – all of whom are at the Africa Cup of Nations – while right-sided forward Ernest Poku is a doubt.
In their stead, expect to see expect to see Jonas Hofmann and Malik Tillman supporting striker Patrik Schick on Saturday, backed up by the versatile Robert Andrich and Aleix Garcia from midfield with Exequiel Palacios recovering from a groin injury.
Jarrell Quansah, Loic Bade and Jeanuel Belocian are set to form a back three, and the trio should be flanked by wing-backs Arthur and Alejandro Grimaldo.
As for Stuttgart, they have an extensive absentee list to contend with, particularly in defence, where they are missing centre-backs Dan-Axel Zagadou, Finn Jeltsch and Luca Jaquez through injury, and fellow centre-half Ameen Al Dakhil is a doubt due to illness.
Further forward, loanee attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss is away at AFCON, Noah Darvich is out with a muscle injury, winger Lazar Jovanovic has a back issue and striker Jovan Milosevic suffered a broken hand.
To plug the gaps, Hoeness could have Tiago Tomas, Jamie Leweling and Nikolas Nartey provide assistance to frontman Deniz Undav this weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Quansah, Bade, Belocian; Arthur, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Tillman; Schick
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Vagnoman, Hendriks, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Tomas, Nartey, Leweling; Undav
We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Stuttgart
Leverkusen will be seen as favourites due to their home advantage, as well as their strong record against the visitors.
Stuttgart may have improved defensively, but they have struggled for wins recently, so it would not be surprising if they failed to earn a positive result on Saturday.
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