Matchday news #B04FCB: Double winners host record champions

#B04FCB – Match facts

The Werkself are on a run of five competitive meetings without defeat against Bayern for the first time ever (W3, D2). The last meeting saw Leverkusen claim a 1-0 victory in the last 16 of the DFB Pokal in Munich back in December. The last German club to enjoy a longer unbeaten streak against the Bavarians was Hamburg (six games between 2007 and 2009). In total, the Werkself have been victorious 20 times over Bayern in the Bundesliga, with 16 of those coming at the BayArena.

However, Bayern are enjoying a very good campaign, with their total of 54 points from 21 games the best they’ve had in nine years. They have also won their last seven league fixtures for their best run since February-September 2020 (14 wins).

There are a number of stats where Leverkusen and Bayern currently top the standings. They’re the two teams in the Bundesliga with the most goals scored, most shots taken, fewest shots faced, the best pass completion and the best success rate in duels. There are also several key head-to-heads, such as Harry Kane and Patrik Schick, who are currently the two top scorers among players still in the Bundesliga with 21 and 14 goals respectively (Omar Marmoush has 15 but left Eintracht Frankfurt in January). And then there’s the two top-scoring midfielders in Florian Wirtz (nine goals) and Jamal Musiala (10), while Wirtz is also the division’s top provider with nine assists.

Focus on Bayern

“I think it’ll be a cool game. I’d definitely like to go and watch it as a fan,” said Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich ahead of this encounter at the BayArena. The Munich club arrive in Leverkusen in confident mood after their 2-1 win at Celtic in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday, while they are also eight points clear of the Werkself at the top of the Bundesliga. Things are looking good on the injury front as well, with coach Vincent Kompany having an almost fully fit squad at his disposal. You can read more about Bayern in our lowdown on our next opponents.

Siebert in charge

The German FA (DFB) have appointed Daniel Siebert as today’s referee. It’s the 40-year-old’s 27th Bundesliga game involving the Werkself (W10, D8, L8). His assistants are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn. The VAR is Benjamin Cortus.