The biggest game in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season arrives on Saturday evening as league leaders Bayer Leverkusen play host to Rekordmeister Bayern Munich.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are aiming to dethrone Die Roten, who have won the past 11 Bundesliga titles, and hold a two-point advantage over Thomas Tuchel’s side heading into their upcoming duel.
Leverkusen’s credentials were laid out in the reverse fixture as they snatched a dramatic late point in Bavaria following a barnstorming encounter which ended two apiece. Alonso’s side remain unbeaten in the top flight, while Bayern have lost just twice.
These two are far and away the very best Germany has to offer this season and Saturday’s clash in Leverkusen is one you won’t want to miss.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the decisive Bundesliga clash.
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Football |
United States | ESPN+ |
Canada | DAZN |
Leverkusen confirmed lineup vs Bayern (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Stanisic, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Tella; Adli.
Bayern confirmed lineup vs Leverkusen (4-3-3): Neuer; Boey, Kim, Upamecano, Mazraoui; Dier, Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sane, Kane, Musiala.
This may well be Leverkusen’s biggest domestic encounter in a couple of decades, during a time when the club garnered the ‘Neverkusen’ tag.
Alonso’s side is quite brilliant, but there are a couple of concerns heading into Saturday’s game. Boniface’s absence has reduced their in-behind threat somewhat, with the Spaniard leaning on swift rotations and the dynamism of his wing-backs to penetrate opposing defences with the technically proficient Schick starting up top.
Moreover, Bayern have enjoyed a week of recovery while a full-strength Leverkusen side played an intense cup tie in midweek.
The BayArena will be rampant and Bayern have multiple key injuries to mitigate, but the visitors have been here before. They may have struggled to find their apex this season, but they know what it takes to win these sorts of games.
