Xabi Alonso will be aiming for a return to winning form for his Bayer Leverkusen team as they host struggling Heidenheim at the BayArena on Saturday in their 11th Bundesliga match of the season.
The international break provided a timely pause for Leverkusen, who have won only once in their last six matches across all competitions, recording four draws and one loss during this period.
Leverkusen has drawn their last three Bundesliga matches, with the 1-1 draw against Bochum particularly disappointing. After taking the lead in the 18th minute, they conceded a late equalizer in the 89th minute.
Defensively, Leverkusen has achieved five clean sheets in their 17 matches this season, matching the number of shutouts they had after the first ten games of the 2023-24 campaign. However, concerns are growing regarding their attacking performance, as they have scored only once in their last three matches.
Despite dropping points in six of their ten Bundesliga games this season, Leverkusen maintains a strong home record at the BayArena, with only one loss in their last 34 matches there, winning 27 times.
In terms of team news, forward Amine Adli remains sidelined due to a broken leg and is not expected to return until March 2025. In his absence, Martin Terrier may be utilized in the forward line, while Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface are likely starters.
Defensively, Leverkusen will be without Jeanuel Belocian and Nordi Mukiele until early December. Manager Xabi Alonso is expected to deploy a back three consisting of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
Heidenheim will approach their match against Bayer Leverkusen having scored only once against Wolfsburg, despite generating 2.42 expected goals (xG), significantly higher than Wolfsburg's xG of 1.50. The visitors created five big chances in that match, an improvement compared to their previous nine Bundesliga games where they managed only 19 big chances.
Manager Frank Schmidt described the loss as bitter and expressed concern over his team's offensive struggles, as they have found the net only twice in their last five matches.
In their last five fixtures, Heidenheim has won just once, losing three times and drawing once. They have managed only one victory in their last seven Bundesliga matches, suffering six defeats during that span.
Their away form is also troubling, with three losses in their last four league games. However, they did secure a 2-0 victory over Hearts in the Conference League in their most recent away match on November 7.
For Heidenheim, midfielders Julian Niehues, Thomas Leon Keller, and Luka Janes will be unavailable, leading Frank Schmidt to consider starting Lennard Maloney, Jan Schöppner, and Niklas Dorsch in midfield.
Right-back Marnon-Thomas Busch is also unlikely to return until early next month, meaning Haktab Omar Traore will continue in the right-back position. Traore could be partnered in a back four by centre-backs Patrick Mainka and Benedikt Gimber, with Jonas Föhrenbach filling the left-back role.
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