The top two Bundesliga teams will square off on Saturday at 17:30 pm (UK Time) as Bayer Leverkusen welcome Bayern Munich to the BayArena.
Bayer Leverkusen XI: Hradecky; Dragovic, Tah, Tapsoba, Sinkgraven; Wirtz, Baumgartlinger, Amiri; Bailey, Schick, Diaby.
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Süle, Boateng, Hernández, Davies; Tolisso, Alaba; Gnabry, Müller, Coman; Lewandowski.
How to live stream Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich online:
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich build-up, previous line-ups & injury news:
Bayer Leverkusen are yet to lose in the Bundesliga after 12 rounds, having won eight and drawn four in the process. They are currently unbeaten in 11 games across all competitions, including matches from the Europa League. They won their Europa League group in a comfortable manner and had one of the best attacking records in the group stage with 21 goals under their belts in just six rounds.
As for their Bundesliga campaign, Leverkusen head into this tie on the back of a 4-0 away victory at FC Koln, which was the second game in a row in which they managed to score four goals after beating Hoffenheim 4-0 on home soil a week ago. At home, Bayer Leverkusen are currently on a 10-game unbeaten run across all competitions but have failed to win in their most recent two home meetings with Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich have finally managed to win their first Bundesliga match of December as they won 2-1 at home against Wolfsburg. However, it has to be said that it was the fifth consecutive league game in which Bayern Munich had to fight back from one-goal down. It’s pretty obvious that the Bavarians aren’t playing their best football at the moment and the main reason for this is their sloppy defence. They have already conceded 18 goals in 12 rounds so far this season, which is the worst defensive record in top six. On the road, Bayern Munich are undefeated in 10 competitive trips at the moment, although their most recent two outings ended as 1-1 draws. In terms of head-to-head, Bayern Munich have won three of their last five meetings with Bayer Leverkusen across all competitions.
Can Bayer Leverkusen maintain their unbeaten start of the Bundesliga season? Or will Bayern Munich manage to win their fifth game in their last six trips to BayArena?
- Bayer Leverkusen (vs FC Koln): Hradecky, Weiser, Tah, Dragovic, Wendell, Wirtz, Baumgartlinger, Amiri, Bailey, Schick, Diaby.
- Bayern Munich (vs Wolfsburg): Neuer, Hernandez, Alaba, Boateng, Sule, Tolisso, Sane, Gnabry, Muller, Coman, Lewandowski.
Bayer Leverkusen have had an amazing Bundesliga campaign so far this season, but they are still without several players. Charles Aranguiz, Santiago Arias, Sven Bender, Kerem Demirbay, Exequiel Palacios and Paulinho are all unavailable for this match due to injuries.
As for Bayern Munich, Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi, Javi Martinez and Malik Tillman won’t be able to feature for the Bavarians in 2020 as they’re on the sidelines with long-term injuries. In addition, Leon Goretzka is still recovering after a slight injury from Bayern Munich’s match on the road at Union Berlin a week ago.
Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
He is yet to receive the recognition he deserves in the Ballon d’Or awards, but Robert Lewandowski was named as “The Best” men’s footballer in FIFA’s recent awards ceremony — becoming the first Germany-based player to win the award — and rightfully so.
The Poland international has been a force of nature over the past season-and-a-half, scoring an incredible 55 goals in 47 appearances last season alone as Bayern sealed the treble. Already in 2020/21, Lewandowski has netted 18 times in 17 games and seems hellbent on delivering even more success for the Bavarians.
Surprisingly, Lewandowski only has eight goals in 20 career appearances against Bayer Leverkusen — not so impressive when you consider he’s netted 24 times against Wolfsburg and 20 times against Schalke. If Hansi Flick’s men are to leapfrog Leverkusen in the table, they’re going to need Lewandowski set the record straight.