Bayer Leverkusen back in Bundesliga after reaching third European final.
With survival on the line, Bochum hosts unbeaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in a high-stakes showdown at Vonovia Ruhrstadion this Sunday.
VfL Bochum 1848
Bochum are coming into this game after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Union Berlin last weekend. This win marked back-to-back victories in the league for them [LDLWW].
They currently sit in 14th place on the league table, with 33 points [7W, 12D, & 13L], and are four points ahead of 16th-placed Mainz, who occupy the relegation play-off spot with two games left to play.
Bochum welcome the already-crowned champions Leverkusen, who reached the Europa League final on Thursday night, hoping to mathematically confirm their place in the top flight. Bochum boasts an impressive head-to-head record against the visitors, having recorded 17 victories against Leverkusen. Only Eintracht Frankfurt [25] and Borussia Mönchengladbach [20] have suffered more league defeats at the hands of Bochum.
Bochum remains the last team to defeat Leverkusen in a competitive game, with a resounding 3-0 victory in last season’s final league game. They will be looking to become the only team to defeat Leverkusen this season when they make an appearance for their final home game on Sunday.
Thomas Letsch is expected to deploy a 4-4-2 formation, with Philipp Hofmann and Takuma Asano in attack.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen surpassed Benfica to become the first team to go unbeaten in 49 games in all competitions. The recently-crowned Bundesliga champions secured a comeback 2-2 draw against Roma on Thursday night in the Europa League semi-final second leg.
Xabi Alonso’s side orchestrated another dramatic late comeback thanks to Gianluca Mancini’s own goal and Josip Stanišić’s stoppage-time strike, earning a 4-2 aggregate win and a spot in a third European final.
Back in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen are undefeated in 32 league games, with 84 points, which is the second-highest points tally by any team at this stage in BL history. With 13 wins and 3 draws on the road, Die Werkself could become only the third team in Bundesliga history to remain undefeated in all away games in a single season, provided they avoid defeat on Sunday.
They prepare for Sunday’s trip, hoping to extend their unbeaten run in the league and in all competitions to 33 and 50 games, respectively. Xabi Alonso is expected to keep the familiar 3-4-2-1 formation, with Victor Boniface leading the attack. The visitors have no injury worries ahead of the weekend’s clash.
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