Bayer Leverkusen vs Holstein Kiel

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen return to the BayArena for a relatively straightforward clash against debutants Holstein Kiel.

Bayer Leverkusen took a few risks and eventually needed luck to overcome AC Milan 1-0 in midweek Champions League action, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches (W4, D1). But the start of their Bundesliga title defense hasn’t been plain sailing after RB Leipzig ended their 35-game undefeated league run on Matchday 2, allowing Bayern Munich to build a three-point lead at the table’s summit. Xabi Alonso’s side had their backs against the wall in last weekend’s derby in Munich but secured a 1-1 draw, rounding off the worst five-game start to a Bundesliga title defense since 2012/13 (W3, D1, L1). Defensive frailties have plagued Die Werkself’s early season as they’ve yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga, conceding ten goals in the first five outings.

Visiting Holstein Kiel will try to exploit Leverkusen’s defensive vulnerabilities to add to their seven-goal tally after the opening five league games. However, scoring hasn’t been the visitors’ problem this season, considering they bagged 2+ goals in three of those five matches. Kiel’s inability to fend off their rivals has been their undoing at the beginning of their first-ever Bundesliga season, with Marcel Rapp’s side conceding a league-high 17 goals at an average of 3.5 per game. Ominously for Kiel’s fans, Rapp’s men have capitulated multiple times in all five league fixtures this term, which was the case in a 3-1 DFB-Pokal defeat in 2003 in their only previous encounter against Leverkusen. Kiel’s massive defensive woes have come to the fore in recent matches, as they’ve conceded 12 across their last three Bundesliga contests.