Bochum vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Can the Champions extend their unbeaten run?
| Xabi Alonso | Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
Bochum
Bochum are on the brink of securing safety after claiming maximum points in their last two outings. Die Unabsteigbaren claimed a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim, before they beat Union Berlin in a seven-goal thriller. They established a three-goal half-time lead against Union thanks to a Maximilian Wittek brace and a Keven Schlotterbeck effort. After conceding two goals in three minutes, Bochum added a crucial fourth through Philipp Hofmann’s 70th-minute strike. Although Union pulled another goal back, Heiko Butscher’s side saw out the remainder of the contest to clinch three precious points.
With two games left to play, Bochum are sitting in 14th place and three points above the relegation playoff spot. As a result of that cushion, die Unabsteigbaren will secure safety with a game to spare if they can take a point off Leverkusen. While that may appear a tricky task, Bochum can take confidence from the fact they avoided defeat in their last three home meetings with die Werkself. They will also have fond memories of the 3-0 win over Leverkusen in last season’s home clash.
Team News
Bochum are unable to call upon Moritz Kwarteng, Niclas Thiede, Danilo Soares, Mohammed Tolba and Michael Esser. Phillip Forster has also been ruled out, while Moritz Broschinski is a doubt due to illness.
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen produced more late drama to maintain their unbeaten record in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final clash with Roma. After claiming a 2-0 win in Italy, die Werkself conceded from two penalties to leave them with work to do. They subsequently restored their aggregate advantage courtesy of a Gianluca Mancini own goal, before Josip Stanišić netted in the 97th minute to ensure the second leg finished as a 2-2 draw.
The Bundesliga champions are now just four games away from completing an unbeaten season. They will round off the league campaign with games against Bochum and Augsburg, before they face Atalanta in the Europa League final on May 22. Xabi Alonso’s troops will then go head-to-head with second-tier Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final.
Their current focus will be on Sunday’s contest, where they will attempt to claim a third consecutive away win in all competitions. Leverkusen made light work of their previous meeting with Bochum, producing a free-scoring display to run out 4-0 winners in December’s clash at the BayArena.
Team News
Alonso has confirmed that Florian Wirtz will miss Sunday’s away clash due to a thigh issue.