Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga action this Saturday as they host Bayer Leverkusen in another exciting Bundesliga game.
Venue: Allianz Arena (Munich)
Key Statistics
Bayern Munich have won ten of their 12 home Bundesliga clashes this campaign (L2).
Robert Lewandowski has only failed to reach double figures for goals against three of the 18 Bundesliga clubs he has faced at least 10 times. Leverkusen are one of them (eight goals in 19 appearances).
The game marks Julian Nagelsmann’s 335th in all competitions as a first-team coach (including U19s level). His record is W185, D77, L72.
Bayern have won their last four league meetings with Leverkusen in a row and have only lost four of the previous 28.
Bayer Leverkusen have claimed 16 points to Bayern’s 15 in seven Bundesliga games in 2022. Only Leipzig have more (18) this calendar year.
Die Werkself’s 63 goals after 24 rounds of fixtures is a club record.
Leverkusen’s Diaby is enjoying career-best form with 12 goals and seven assists for the Bundesliga season.
Bayern have received just 20 Bundesliga yellow cards this campaign (0.83 on average) – the competition’s lowest tally.
Head to head
In 32 head-to-head meetings between the two sides, Bayern Munich hold the clear advantage. They have won 20 games, lost six and drawn six.
Latest performances in all competitions
Bayern Munich: W-W-D-L-W
Leverkusen: W-L-W-W-W
Bayern Munich
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich got their title defence back on track last time out with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The win, which was a second consecutive win for the Bavarians, kept them firmly at the top of the table, eight points ahead of the rest of the league.
They return to the Allianz Arena where they have been utterly dominant this season looking to pick up another three points that will solidify their grip on the top spot.
The hosts have won ten of their 12 home Bundesliga clashes this campaign (L2). Thanks to a devastating attack that has plundered 75 league goals this season – the highest for teams in Europe’s top five leagues – seven out of their 12 home games have seen the free-scoring league leaders net three or more times.
However, a return of just five clean sheets during that stint remains a slight concern, especially given the recent upturn in attacking form of their visitors.
Possible Bayern Munich starting line-up
Sven Ulreich, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Niklas Sule, Omar Richards, Joshua Kimmich, Marcel Sabitzer, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, Robert Lewandowski.
Injured: Alphonso Davies, Corentin Tolisso
Doubtful: Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka
Suspended: Lucas Hernandez
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen meanwhile will look to keep their imperious form going when they travel to Munich on Saturday.
With five wins from their last six league games (L1), the visitors are Bundesliga’s most in-form side.
They head into this heavyweight clash sat third in the Bundesliga standings and with a four-point gap over the chasing pack in the top four race.
Their most recent outing was a routine 3-0 victory over struggling Arminia Bielefeld and extended their hot streak. it also made it seven straight matches in which they’ve netted two or more goals.
Over the past five games, they have scored 19 times. However, they fell on the road in their last away match, conceding two very late goals to lose 3-2 against Mainz.
Despite that loss, Gerardo Seoane’s side remain strong away from home, losing just three of their 12 Bundesliga away matches (W6, D3).
Possible Bayer Leverkusen starting line-up
Lukas Hradecky, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Mitchel Bakker, Charles Aranguiz, Exequiel Palacios, Moussa Diaby, Florian Wirtz, Kerem Demirbay, Lucas Alario.
Injured: Andrey Lunyov, Karim Bellarabi
Doubtful: Julian Baumgartlinger, Patrik Schick
Suspended: None
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen
