| The Bundesliga matchday weekend start on Friday evening with a real top derby match. Bayer Leverkusen accept at home Stuttgart. After the start to the season that was by no means outstanding, the Swabians are actually dependent on three points. With a current eight-point gap to the top of the table, at least Bayern and RB Leipzig seem to have already pulled away early. A goal-rich exchange with a better ending for the factory club is a much more likely scenario than a classic 0-0 draw. The bookies see the hosts as firm favourites for the win in this match. During the week, Bayer Leverkusen play in the DFB Cup and defeated Elversberg 3-0. For the first time in four games, the defending champions kept a clean sheet. But in general, the defence remains the biggest problem for the Leverkusen. In the Bundesliga, they have already conceded 15 goals after eight games. In the whole of the previous season, they conceded 24. The guests also made it through the second round of the cup. However, the Swabians clearly struggled in front of their home crowd in their 2-1 win against Kaiserslautern. Also the previous victory against Holstein Kiel came with the same result make it clear that Stuttgart lack the necessary ease even against easier opponents. In 12 of the last 13 games, Stuttgart has conceded at least one goal. |
