Bundesliga Preview: Leverkusen Won Recent Encounters Against Leipzig, Wirtz Aims to Continue Hot Form

On September 1st at 00:30, the second round of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season will see defending champions Bayer Leverkusen host Leipzig at the BayArena. Both teams have been in impressive form recently, winning consecutive matches. Notably, Leverkusen has won all three of their recent encounters against Leipzig.

The start of the new season has brought a very tight schedule for Leverkusen. On August 18th, Leverkusen triumphed over Stuttgart via penalties with a final score of 6-5 (4-3 on penalties) in the German Super Cup, securing the title. On August 24th, Leverkusen secured a 3-2 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the first round of the Bundesliga. On August 29th, Leverkusen won 1-0 against Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Such a congested schedule poses a significant challenge to Leverkusen’s physical condition.

Leverkusen’s home record is particularly noteworthy. In last season’s Bundesliga, Leverkusen achieved 14 wins and 3 draws at home, boasting an 82.4% win rate at home, and were the only team out of 18 in the Bundesliga to remain unbeaten at home. In the 3-2 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wirtz demonstrated his fiery form by scoring twice, including the decisive goal in the dying seconds. However, Leverkusen conceded two goals in that match, which is something they need to address. It’s worth noting that Leverkusen conceded an average of just 0.71 goals per game last season, making them the team with the fewest goals conceded in the Bundesliga, having conceded two or more goals in only six of their 34 matches.

In terms of historical encounters, Leverkusen has a record of 5 wins, 4 draws, and 7 losses from their last 16 matches against Leipzig, slightly at a disadvantage. However, it’s noteworthy that Leverkusen has won all three of their recent matches against Leipzig. In the 29th round of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, Leverkusen defeated Leipzig 2-0; in the 1st and 18th rounds of the 2023-24 season, Leverkusen also beat Leipzig with a scoreline of 3-2.

After the start of the new season, Leipzig has also won consecutive matches. On August 17th, Leipzig won 4-1 against Essen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. On August 24th, in the first round of the Bundesliga, Leipzig defeated Bochum 1-0. Considering that Leverkusen played one more match than Leipzig on August 29th, Leipzig clearly has an advantage in terms of physical reserves. During the summer transfer window, Leipzig signed the 19-year-old winger Nussa from Club Brugge. Nussa scored a goal in the 4-1 victory over Essen and then came off the bench to score the winning goal in the Bundesliga opener, helping Leipzig defeat Bochum 1-0. In addition to Nussa, Simons scored once and provided an assist in the match against Essen, and then assisted Nussa’s goal in the victory over Bochum.

However, it must be pointed out that Leipzig’s defensive cornerstone and captain Orban received a red card in the match against Bochum and will therefore miss the trip to Leverkusen. Orban’s absence will undoubtedly have a negative impact on Leipzig’s defense. Although Leipzig lost both encounters against Leverkusen last season, Openda managed to score in each match. For this upcoming encounter, Leipzig will clearly need Openda to continue such performances. Last season in the Bundesliga, Leipzig achieved 8 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses away from home, ranking fifth in away performance in the league.

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