Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim preview: Die Werkself with a boost of confidence after the international break
The current Bundesliga leader Leverkusen will try to continue their unbeaten streak against Hoffenheim on Saturday.
| Leverkusen players celebrating |
Bayer Leverkusen
Being above Bayern Munich in the table at the end of March is an outstanding achievement, if you look at the results of the last decade. Doing it while being unbeaten at the same time is simply extraordinary and special. This feeling alone should be enough to carry Leverkusen to the title in May - but the good news don't seem to end: in a rather spectacular turn of events, head coach Xabi Alonso has decided to stay at the club for one more year - turning down Liverpool and Bayern!
What's also worth noting is that many star players performed really well during the international break: Jonathan Tah, Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich for Germany for example. Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong were also able to integrate themselves and show their class for their countries. They all come back to the team with another boost in confidence.
Leverkusen have won all but one of their home games in the second half of the season so far - a streak they would love to continue against Hoffenheim, whom they've beaten in their last two match ups. On the other hand, Leverkusen got just one point out of their last two home games against Hoffenheim. What's for sure is that this fixture does gurantee a lot of goals: in 11 out of 13 of their last match ups the score would include at least three goals!
Team News
The home team will be without Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios and Arthur. All the other players are available, as Xabi Alonso confirmed at the press conference.
Hoffenheim
The international break came at the right time for "die Sinsheimer". Back-to-back losses against Stuttgart and Frankfurt were responsible for losing their 7th place in the table to Augsburg. Before the break, Hoffenheim had just won one away game (against Dortmund) since October.
During the international break players like Andrej Kramarić and Wout Weghorst have been able to gain some confidence and a boost in morale through good performances for their respective countries. Youngster Maximilian Beier even got his first call-up to the German national team - deserved praise for Beier's performances this season, even though he didn't get the chance to make his debut.
History shows that Hoffenheim have the potential to be a tough opponent for Leverkusen: Pellegrino Materazzo's side have won eight out of 32 match ups in total against the home team. Besides that, six out of their nine wins in the Bundesliga this season have been away wins - which makes Hoffenheim the best away-team outside of the top five teams.
Team News
The visitors are still unable to call upon Mergim Berisha and Marco John due to injuries. Defender John Brooks is still suspended because of a red card. On the positive side, Grischa Prömel and Dennis Geiger are back as squad options after their injuries, as head coach Pellegrino Materazzo confirmed at the press conference. Florian Grillitsch is at question for the game.