With just six games remaining, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen must continue winning and hope Bayern Munich slip up if they are to keep their title hopes alive when they take on Union Berlin at BayArena on Saturday.
Union Berlin have won their last two matches and won’t be an easy opponent, but Bayer Leverkusen cannot afford any slip-ups if they want to stay in the race. The home team are second on the table with 62 points in their 28 outings.
Die Werkself are six points behind league leaders Bayern. While they suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal semi-final, Bayer Leverkusen returned to winning ways against FC Heidenheim in the league last time out.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 13th on the table with 33 points in their 28 outings. Union Berlin are 11 points clear of the drop zone and have already accumulated as many points as they did last season. The away side are unbeaten in their last four matches and have won their last two outings. They will certainly be confident about putting up a strong show against the hosts in this outing.
Bayer Leverkusen won the reverse fixture 2-1, and they will be eyeing a double against the Berlin-based outfit. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
While Florian Wirtz is closing in on a return, he is unlikely to be available for this fixture on Saturday. He remains on the sideline alongside Martin Terrier, Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios, Jeanuel Belocian, and Mario Hermoso.
Against Union Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen are expected to stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Lukas Hradecky should continue in goal. The back three will comprise Nordi Mukiele, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo should feature as the wing-backs for the home team. In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka should partner with Robert Andrich. The duo will look to ensure they control the tempo of the game. Aleix Garcia and Amine Adli will most likely be the two attacking midfielders behind Patrik Schick.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Adli, Garcia; Schick
The visitors will be without the services of Aljoscha Kemlein, Robert Skov and Jeong Woo-yeong. Apart from the trio, they should have a fully fit squad to choose from.
Against Bayer Leverkusen, Union Berlin could also line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Frederik Ronnow will be in goal. Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld, and Diogo Leite will form the back three. Meanwhile, Christopher Trimmel and Josip Juranovic will be the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Janik Haberer and Rani Khedira will look to shield the backline and ensure the Bayer Leverkusen midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. Andras Schafer and Benedict Hollerbach will be the two attacking midfielders behind Andrej Ilic, who will lead the line for Union Berlin against Bayer Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite; Trimmel, Haberer, Khedira, Juranovic; Schafer, Hollerbach; Ilic
The 29-year-old striker has been a key figure in Bayer Leverkusen’s attack this season, featuring in 39 matches and contributing to 24 goals. With Florian Wirtz sidelined, Schick has stepped up when it matters most, playing a vital role in getting his team back to winning ways. Leverkusen will be counting on him once again as they look to secure all three points against Union Berlin.
Given the kind of form Union Berlin have been in, they will certainly cause quite a few problems for Bayer Leverkusen in this fixture. But given the kind of quality Xabi Alonso has in his squad, he should find a way to claim all three points in this fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
