Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfB Stuttgart preview: Werkself look to pile pressure on struggling Stuttgart
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Bayer Leverkusen
After six successive victories in all competitions, Leverkusen were brought crashing back down to earth last weekend, suffering a 3-0 defeat away at Hoffenheim, leaving Die Werkself fourth in the Bundesliga with 13 points from seven matches.
However, Carles Martinez's side bounced back in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Nürnberg in the DFB-Pokal.
Edmond Tapsoba was the unlikely hero on the night, netting twice either side of half-time before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez completed the turnaround.
Now, Leverkusen are looking to carry that momentum into Saturday's encounter, having won all five of their competitive home matches this season.
Team news
The hosts will be without Moussa Diaby, who suffered a thigh injury against Hoffenheim and is not expected to return until after the November international break, while Loic Bade is also a doubt after suffering a head injury in the same match, while Martin Terrier, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Christian Kofane, Guéla Doué and Kennet Eichhorn remain sidelined.
Click here to see our predicted Leverkusen lineup
Stuttgart
It has been a difficult start to the Bundesliga campaign for Stuttgart, who have picked up just six points from their opening seven matches.
Sebastian Hoeneß's side suffered their fifth league defeat of the season last Friday, falling 3-2 at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach, who had previously lost all six of their matches.
That result left Die Schwaben 15th, with their Bundesliga form contrasting sharply with their encouraging displays in the Champions League.
Stuttgart did at least return to winning ways in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, although they made hard work of defeating ten-man Paderborn, with Deniz Undav scoring the winner in stoppage time.
Despite their struggles, the visitors can take confidence from their recent record against Leverkusen, having won both meetings between the sides in 2026, including a convincing 4-1 victory at the BayArena in January.
Team news
Hoeneß has been dealt a significant injury blow ahead of Saturday's encounter, with Angelo Stiller ruled out after suffering an adductor injury against Paderborn.
Leo Sauer is also unavailable due to a muscular problem, joining Josha Vagnoman on the sidelines.
Dan-Axel Zagadou, Tiago Tomas and Justin Diehl are also expected to miss out, while Nikolas Nartey's involvement remains uncertain.
