Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Bundesliga clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Heidenheim, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to close the gap on the Bundesliga’s top four when they welcome bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim to the BayArena this Saturday afternoon.
Die Werkself come into this game on the back of a solid Champions League victory over Benfica, while the visitors will be looking to end their five-match winless run.
Match preview
Bayer Leverkusen were handed a reality check by Bayern Munich during their big Bundesliga clash last weekend, losing 3-0 away at the Allianz Arena.
Kasper Hjulmand and his men took the result on the chin and bounced back in terrific fashion, picking up a 1-0 win away against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Having won three of their last four games across all competitions, Leverkusen will now be hoping to keep the momentum train rolling as they look to close the gap on their top four rivals.
Die Werkself have accumulated 17 points from their opening nine games, and they have only suffered a couple of defeats in the Bundesliga – including the inevitable one against Bayern Munich.
Boasting the league’s third-best goalscoring record, Leverkusen will be determined to underline their attacking abilities against one of the worst defences in the competition.
With just five points to their name so far this season, it appears Heidenheim are in for a relegation bout – something that does not come as a shock following their 16th-placed finish last term.
Most managers would feel under pressure after winning one of their first nine league games of the season, though that is not the case for head coach Frank Schmidt.
The 51-year-old has been with the club for 18 years and took them all the way from the fifth tier to the promised land of European football.
Despite their poor run of results, Heidenheim are not a million miles from turning things around.
Last weekend, for instance, the club took Eintracht Frankfurt to the deep waters and earned an impressive 1-1 stalemate against the top-four challengers.
Some of their other games across recent weeks have also been closely contested, including their 1-0 loss at Stuttgart and the 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen.
Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:
Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):
Heidenheim Bundesliga form:
Heidenheim form (all competitions):
Team News
Bayer Leverkusen head into the weekend without midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez, who has missed the last three matches with a knee injury.
Follow Argentine star Exequiel Palacios is also on the sidelines, with the player struggling with a groin problem since September.
Axel Tape (hamstring) and Nathan Tella (knee) are also out of action due to their ongoing injuries.
Heidenheim, on the other hand, are still missing Sirlord Conteh, with the 29-year-old struggling to overcome his knee concern.
The forward scored and assisted on his last appearance in September against Augsburg – a game which also marked Heidenheim’s one and only Bundesliga win this season.
Speaking of knee problems, goalkeeper Frank Feller and defender Leart Paqarada are both on the sidelines with that very same problem.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Quansah, Bade, Tapsoba; Arthur, Andrich, García, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Poku; Schick
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Ramaj; Traore, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Beck, Niehues, Schoppner, Ibrahimovic; Schimmer, Zivzivadze
We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Heidenheim
Heidenheim have already caused problems against top teams like Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt.
We are backing the visitors to give Bayer Leverkusen a whole host of problems, though ultimately, the hosts should have enough quality to come out on top.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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