Bayer Leverkusen will aim to extend their unbeaten streak to 11 competitive matches when they host Stuttgart on Friday.
Leverkusen currently occupies third place in the league standings with four wins, three draws, and one loss in their eight games this season. The team has gone two months without a defeat, although they are frustrated by having drawn three of their last four Bundesliga matches. Their recent fixtures include draws against Bayern Munich and Holstein Kiel, followed by a narrow 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
In their most recent match against Werder Bremen, Leverkusen started strong with goals from Victor Boniface and a Felix Agu own goal, but ultimately settled for a draw after Roman Schmid equalized in the 90th minute. This result leaves Leverkusen five points behind leaders Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.
Leverkusen experienced success in their Tuesday DFB-Pokal match against Elversberg, winning 3-0 with Patrik Schick scoring twice and Aleix GarcÃa adding a stunning free-kick goal. They now turn their attention to a second meeting with Stuttgart, having previously triumphed over them in the DFL-Supercup in August, extending their unbeaten run against Stuttgart to 13 matches across all competitions.
Team news for Leverkusen indicates that manager Xabi Alonso will be without Jeanuel Belocian and Amine Adli due to leg and ankle injuries, respectively.
Stuttgart, currently in eighth place, trails Leverkusen by three points with a record of three wins, three draws, and two losses from their eight Bundesliga matches. Despite being outside the European qualification spots, Stuttgart enters the match with optimism, having achieved three consecutive victories in all competitions. This winning streak began with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Juventus in the Champions League.
The team then secured a narrow 2-1 win at home against Holstein Kiel, followed by a similar scoreline in their DFB-Pokal clash with Kaiserslautern, where Chris Führich scored the decisive goal in the 75th minute after the teams were level at halftime.
Having played two home matches in succession, Stuttgart now faces a challenging away fixture. They have struggled to secure away wins this season, managing just one victory in four Bundesliga away matches (with one draw and two losses). To clinch maximum points on Friday, Stuttgart must defeat Leverkusen for the first time since their 1-0 away win in April 2018.
In terms of team news, Stuttgart is expected to be without Yannik Keitel, Luca Raimund, and Dan-Axel Zagadou, while Jeff Chabot will serve a one-match ban due to a red card received last weekend.
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