High-flying RB Leipzig will travel to Leverkusen this Sunday to face Bayer Leverkusen in the 30th round of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season.
Venue: BayArena (Leverkusen)
Key Statistics
Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick is second only to Robert Lewandowski (32) in the Bundesliga scoring chart. He’s averaging a league goal every 84 minutes this season.
Diaby has had a hand in 10 goals across his last 10 Bundesliga appearances.
RB Leipzig have won five of their six away league games in 2022 (except a 3-2 defeat in Munich), scoring 21 goals.
The visitors have scored 3+ goals in five of their last six away games in all competitions.
They are unbeaten in their last 13 games in all competitions.
Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku is third in the scoring chart (17) and second for assists (12). Only Lewandowski (33) has had a direct hand in more goals across the Bundesliga.
Die Roten Bullen are also unbeaten in Leverkusen (W2, D3) as they prepare to play their 200th Bundesliga game. Their record so far is 106 wins and just 43 losses.
Head to head
Bayer Leverkusen have won just two of 11 Bundesliga meetings with Leipzig (18%) but did manage a 3-1 victory earlier in the season.
They only have a worse win rate against Dynamo Dresden (12.5%).
Latest performances in all competitions
Bayer Leverkusen: D-W-W-L-L
RB Leipzig: W-W-D-W-D
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen will look to get the win that will keep their place in the top three of the table when they welcome RB Leipzig to BayArena on Sunday.
The hosts have maintained their place in the top four for most of the season. But their place is now under threat following a goalless draw with lowly Bochum last time. The result leaves them just one point ahead of RB Leipzig in the race for the top four.
Although they come into this tie sitting in third place, they are just four points behind Freiburg in fifth. And so, should they lose this game, they are in danger of dropping out of the top four places in a few weeks if Freiburg continues to win.
That will make them desperate to avoid defeat in this game as well as their desire to improve their poor record against Leipzig, which has seen them beat the Red Bull side just two times in eleven tries.
Meanwhile, head coach Gerardo Seoane remains without a few of his key players with Florian Wirtz, the highlight player on that list. Elsewhere winger Karim Bellarabi (thigh injury), Amine Adli (Achilles), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (thigh), and Jeremie Frimpong are other injury absentees while central defender Jonathan Tah could miss this game after sustaining a run injury last time out.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen starting line-up
Lukas Hradecky; Odilon Kossounou, Pierp Hincapie, Edmond Tapsoba, Mitchel Bakker; Robert Andrich, Charles Aranguiz; J. Baungartlinger, Moussa Diaby, Paulinho, Lucas Alario.
Injured: Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi, Amine Adli, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Jeremie Frimpong
Doubtful: Sardar Azmoun
Suspended: None
RB Leipzig
After booking their place in the semifinals of the UEFA Europa League, RB Leipzig turn their attention to the Bundesliga, where they are still in a battle to finish within the top four places.
The visitors defeated the Italian side Atalanta 2-0 on Thursday to book their place in the next round of the UEL. They are alongside Eintracht Frankfurt. The only German teams left in UEFA competitions after Bayern Munich were eliminated by Villarreal.
In the league, they come into this tie in the back of an impressive 3-0 over top-six-chasing Hoffenheim. The win against Atalanta last Thursday extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 games, underlining the great job Domenico Tedesco is doing.
The Italian has transformed RB Leipzig in a few short months, taking them from 11th place where Jesse Marsch left them before he was sacked in December, to fourth place. They are Bundesliga’s form side in 2022, Leipzig and will climb to third if they win this game, something that they will fancy their chances of achieving given their form.
Meanwhile, midfielder Amadou Haidara was the only confirmed absentee ahead of the team’s winner-takes-all Europa League quarter-final second leg in Italy.
Possible RB Leipzig starting line-up
Peter Gulacsi; Lukas Klostermann, Willi Orban, Josko Gvardiol; Benjamin Henrichs, Konrad Laimer, Kevin Kampl, Angelino, Dani Olmo; Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva.
Injured: Amadou Haidara
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 RB Leipzig