With just one clean sheet from those eight Bundesliga fixtures, the pressure will remain on their attacking unit – which has averaged an immense 2.44 goals per league game – to keep firing.
Freiburg
Freiburg’s finest Bundesliga season of the last decade continued to grind to a frustrating halt as they played out a scoreless draw at Union Berlin, the fifth time they have dropped points from their last six Bundesliga outings. As a result, the prospects of Freiburg securing a first UEFA group stage in nine years could take a significant hit if they can’t bounce back against another continental hopeful, Bayer Leverkusen.
The hosts have failed to win their last four clashes at home to Leverkusen, scoring in only the most recent one, and following defeats to two other top-half clubs in their last two Bundesliga home fixtures (Frankfurt and Hoffenheim), a change of fortune appears unlikely. They have failed to ‘win’ the second half in their last seven league games across all venues too, suggesting fatigue could be setting in.
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen also failed to defeat Frankfurt and Hoffenheim in their last two league assignments, despite taking two-goal leads in both. That said, this remains their second-best start to any of their last eight Bundesliga campaigns, so another Champions League placing is not yet out of reach. Like their hosts, Leverkusen have also struggled after half-time, outscoring only struggling Hertha Berlin and Greuther Fürth in the second half across their last eight league games. With just one clean sheet from those eight Bundesliga fixtures, the pressure will remain on their attacking unit – which has averaged an immense 2.44 goals per league game – to keep firing.
Freiburg’s Lucas Holer relishes the challenge posed by Leverkusen, scoring in three of the last four H2Hs, including in the opening five minutes on two occasions! Meanwhile, Patrik Schick has scored an incredible eight goals across Leverkusen’s last three Bundesliga games (including two openers) and will be hoping to match his four consecutive goalscoring appearances from earlier on in the campaign.
The pre-match favourite has won just 25% of Freiburg’s Bundesliga games this season.