Bayer Leverkusen vs TSG Hoffenheim

BayArena is the venue as runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen entertain mid-table strugglers TSG Hoffenheim.

Bayer Leverkusen’s unrelenting effort to win their first-ever Bundesliga title reached new heights before the international break as a 3-2 triumph at Freiburg saw them set the new club record for top-flight wins in a single campaign. It was their 22nd league triumph this term, protecting their ten-point lead on second-placed Bayern Munich ahead of the final eight rounds. Yet to lose a single match in 2023/24 across all competitions, Xabi Alonso’s men are only two games away from equaling Bayern’s record of going 28 outings at the start of a Bundesliga season without defeat. Hoffenheim’s visit to the BayArena ought to bolster Leverkusen’s hopes of extending their outrageous 38-game unbeaten competitive action as they’ve won their last two league H2Hs by a combined score of 6-3.

Meanwhile, Hoffenheim boss Pellegrino Matarazzo must have been relieved to hear the international bells ringing after his side lost back-to-back league games before the break by an aggregate score of 6-1. Halting that run against Leverkusen seems improbable, not least because Matarazzo has avoided defeat only once in seven managerial meetings with Die Werkself (D1, L6). Die Kraichgauer’s skepticism can only grow if taking their travel sickness into the equation, with six losses from their last nine away league matches (W1, D2) painting a bleak picture. Defensive frailties have been at the core of Hoffenheim’s underwhelming form, as they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in 22 consecutive games (W5, D6, L11).