Bayer Leverkusen faces a crucial test against Bayern Munich in their bid to retain the Bundesliga title, trailing the leaders by eight points with 13 games left. A frustrating 0-0 draw against Wolfsburg last weekend added to their recent struggles, with two draws in their last three league games (W1). While Leverkusen has drawn seven Bundesliga matches this season, only two have come at home (W8, L1). They will take confidence from their 3-0 victory in this fixture last season, which played a decisive role in their title-winning campaign. However, they have never won three consecutive home league encounters against Bayern, making this a potential historic achievement.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, is determined to avoid a repeat of last season when a defeat in this very fixture derailed their title challenge and led to a rare trophyless campaign. They arrive at the BayArena in excellent form, having won their last seven Bundesliga matches while averaging an impressive 3.29 goals per game. However, their recent away form in the league has been less dominant (W3, D1, L1), with all four non-drawn matches being decided by a single-goal margin. This pattern was evident again in their midweek UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off first-leg win over Celtic (2-1).
Key players to watch include Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick, who has netted four times in his last five games across all competitions, with three of those goals coming after the 50th minute. For Bayern, Leroy Sané has been in fine form, scoring in their 3-0 win over Werder Bremen, with all seven of his goals this season coming in matches featuring over 2.5 goals.
A notable statistic heading into this top-of-the-table clash is that in Bundesliga meetings between the top two sides, only one of the last seven was won by the league leaders (D5, L1). This trend suggests that Leverkusen has a strong chance to disrupt Bayern’s momentum and keep the title race alive.
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