RB Leipzig vs Bayer Leverkusen

Red Bull Arena forms the backdrop for a mammoth Bundesliga match-up between last season’s top-four tenants, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

Fresh from a 3-2 home win over Real Madrid in midweek Champions League action, Leipzig will be looking to establish some level of consistency in the Bundesliga after alternating between winning (2) and drawing (2) in their last four league outings. A lack of consistency is the chief reason ‘Die Roten Bullen’ lag four points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, though a stellar home form promises great things for the immediate future. Marco Rose’s men have clocked up a league-high 13 home points this season, registering four wins in five top-flight outings at the Red Bull Arena (D1). Leipzig should be confident of preserving their home fortress, knowing they’ve lost just twice in 12 Bundesliga H2Hs against Leverkusen (W6, D4).

Meanwhile, visiting Bayer Leverkusen held Atletico Madrid to an enthralling 2-2 draw in Spain in midweek to bolster their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockouts. That could be a massive confidence boost of ‘Die Werkself’ amid a dreadful 11-game Bundesliga start (W2, D3, L6). Leverkusen’s second-worst points tally (9) at this stage of a top-flight season puts them on the periphery of the relegation zone. Not even the appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new chief of staff earlier in October has helped the visitors find their feet. Since beating Schalke 4-0 on the Spaniard’s touchline debut, they’ve gone winless in consecutive league outings (D1, L1), conceding 2+ goals on each occasion, including a humiliating 5-1 romping at Frankfurt on their most recent Bundesliga travel.