Bayer Leverkusen were triumphant in their Champions League return last Thursday and will be hoping to win their third consecutive game on Sunday when they host Wolfsburg at BayArena in their fourth Bundesliga match of the season. Xabi Alonso's side are fifth in the table with six points and won 4-0 last time out against Feyenoord in the Champions League, while the away side are 13th with three points and lost 2-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 14.
Leverkusen thoroughly outclassed Feyenoord on Thursday and raced into a four-goal lead by the half-time interval. Florian Wirtz was the star of the show for Die Schwarzroten given he scored twice, including a goal in the fifth minute when he drove towards the edge of the box and finished into the bottom-right corner. Alonso said that his team's performance was "serious" and "efficient" and praised the tactical flexibility that his players displayed during their match.
In their last Bundesliga game on September 14, Alonso's team comfortably defeated Hoffenheim 4-1 and had 60% possession, produced five big chances and limited their opponents to just one big chance in the entire match. Leverkusen have started the season excellently from an offensive perspective having netted 16 times in just six competitive fixtures, and of the 18 teams in the Bundesliga, they have registered the most touches in the penalty area, created the most big chances and produced the most xG.
Alonso will be concerned that his side have conceded seven in their last six games and have kept just five clean sheets in their last 16 competitive matches. Leverkusen have won two of their last three Bundesliga matches, and lost a league game for the first time in 36 fixtures when they were defeated 3-2 by RB Leipzig on August 31.
The visitors come into Sunday's clash having faced four big chances and 14 shots during their defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, two of which struck the frame of the goal. Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl lamented the performance of the referee in his side's loss, saying that the decision to award what turned out to be the match-winning penalty for the Eagles in the 82nd minute was difficult to accept.
Wolfsburg have conceded 42 shots in their three league games so far this season and have in fact conceded the fifth most xG of any team in the top flight. While the Wolves have lost twice in the league this term already, their first loss of the campaign came against giants Bayern Munich in the opening round of Bundesliga fixtures, a match in which Hasenhuttl's team caused the Bavarians great difficulty. Wolfsburg's overall top-flight record in the past months has not been strong, with the club losing 11 times, drawing on six occasions and winning just five matches in their last 22 league fixtures.
Team News
Alonso will be grateful to have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of his side's game on Sunday. Leverkusen substituted attackers Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz in the second half last time out, likely in preparation for the weekend's match against the visitors. Exequiel Palacios was brought on in the 81st minute for stalwart Granit Xhaka, though Sunday could be too soon for him to return to the starting lineup alongside the former Arsenal midfielder. As such, expect Robert Andrich to partner Xhaka in central midfield, flanked by wing-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo.
As for the visitors, they have a substantial injury list, including Joakim Maehle, Kevin Paredes and Rogerio, who are out until early next month. Forward Bartosz Bialek is not expected back until late November, while attacking midfielder Lovro Majer is due back in early October. Lukas Nmecha is likely to miss out on his side's matches until the middle of October, though David Odogu could return to action in the next few days should he recover from an illness.
Predicted Lineups
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup: Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Terrier; Boniface
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup: Grabara; Fischer, Bornauw, Zesiger, Kaminski; Svanberg, Arnold, Ozcan; Baku, Wimmer, Tomas
Match Preview
Bayer Leverkusen have been lethal in front of goal, and it would not be surprising if star forwards like Wirtz continue their good form. However, while Wolfsburg are underdogs they will take confidence from the fact that the hosts have struggled to keep many clean sheets in recent games. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
