Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich

BayArena plays host to a blockbuster Bundesliga encounter between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen steamrolled to a 4-0 aggregate win over Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, opening an alternate route into next season’s Champions League group stages. Indeed, after blowing hot and cold across their last four Bundesliga matches (W2, D1, L1), albeit winning twice on the spin ahead of this game, ‘Die Werkself’ start this round a whopping 11 points adrift of the top-four pace. As one of only two Bundesliga sides still waiting for a first league clean sheet in the second half of the season, Xabi Alonso’s men must play down the odds to avenge a woeful 4-0 defeat from the reverse fixture and put the brakes on a six-game winless league run against Bayern (D1, L5). It’s easier said than done, considering they’ve lost their last three top-flight H2Hs at home by an aggregate score of 11-4, including a 5-1 thumping in this corresponding contest in 2021/22.

On the other hand, Bayern Munich swept bottom-half Augsburg aside with an overwhelming 5-3 home triumph last weekend despite falling behind less than 60 seconds into the game to solidify their position at the top of the table. Seeking a record-extending 11th straight Bundesliga title, the ‘Bavarians’ come into proceedings on the back of three consecutive league victories, all of which saw them bag multiple goals. Scoring has been Bayern’s strong suit this season, as they remain the only side in the Bundesliga to have hit a 70-goal landmark (71), netting at least 22 goals more than any other team at the start of this round. But Julian Nagelsmann’s men have struggled with inconsistent performances on the road recently, alternating between winning (3) and not winning (D1, L1) on their last five league travels.