How do Leipzig and Leverkusen stack up? | OneFootball

RB Leipzig vs. Bayer Leverkusen: How do they stack up?

Guilty of a spectacle

Both Leipzig and Leverkusen are known for playing attack-minded, entertaining football capable of catching the eye of neutrals as well as getting their own fans off their seats. Naturally, these styles of play which focus on overwhelming their opponents can lead to high-scoring affairs, especially when they leave more gaps than intended in their respective backlines.

Their previous meeting on Matchday 2 of this season was one of those games. Leipzig inflicted Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga loss in 35 games when they came away from the BayArena with a 3-2 win, thanks to a Loïs Openda double after Kevin Kampl had initially got them back into the game from being 2-0 down.

Since then, Die Roten Bullen have beaten Augsburg 4-0, Werder Bremen 4-2 and drew 3-3 with relegation-threatened Bochum, having been three goals to the good at half-time, in further high-scoring encounters.

Leverkusen on the other hand, have scored three or more goals on seven occasions this season. Two of those games saw them score five, against Heidenheim (5-2) on Matchday 11 and Freiburg (5-1) on Matchday 15. They’re not shy of scoring away from home either, as their wins over Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-2), Hoffenheim (4-1) and Borussia Dortmund (3-2) show.

Leverkusen's goalscoring exploits have put them within touching distance of league leaders Bayern Munich and they now sit just four points behind Vincent Kompany's side. Leipzig, meanwhile, sit in fifth, 10 points behind their upcoming opponents.

Tough tacklers

In order to hit such numbers so consistently and make sure that attacking football results in winning football, both sides emphasise being aggressive off the ball. In order to keep attacks flowing, the opposition can’t be allowed a moments rest, meaning that both Xabi Alonso and Marco Rose set their sides up to retrieve the ball as quickly as possible by reducing the spaces available and most importantly, winning their tackles!

It will come as no surprise then that both of them rank amongst the top teams in the league for duels won. Leipzig sit in third (1795) with Leverkusen not far behind in sixth (1748). Taking the lead for duels won at Leverkusen is Florian Wirtz with a league best of 246, while Willi Orbán tops the Leipzig leaderboard with 180.

Creative … defenders?

A big part of both sides’ attacking game plan is their full-backs, who provide width and draw attention away from the attackers in central positions. This results in players such as David Raum, Benjamin Henrichs, Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong having impressive numbers in terms of goals and assists. In their recent draw to Bochum, Raum provided two brilliant assists while the injured Henrichs has two assists to his name so far this season but is out injured. His replacement is Ridle Baku from Wolfsburg with a couple of goals and an assist already this term. Grimaldo and Frimpong both have two goals each, with the Spaniard on three assists for the season and Frimpong just ahead with four.

Last season’s numbers paint an even clearer picture of their attacking abilities. Combined, Leverkusen’s full-back pair managed 19 goals and 20 assists as they became a new source of fuel for their title charge, while Raum and Henrichs contributed 13 assists and three goals to their side’s top four finish.

Home comforts or away joy

So far, both Leipzig and Die Werkself have proven tough to beat at home, with each side losing just once so far. Rose’s men toppled Leverkusen earlier in the season and had to wait until Matchday 12 before tasting their first home defeat of the season, which was a crushing 5-1 loss to an energetic Wolfsburg side.

From Leipzig’s other seven home games they recorded five wins and two draws, while Alonso’s side, who have had more home games so far this season (10), have won seven and drawn two since their sole defeat in week two.

It's the champions away form that is most impressive, though. They haven't lost a Bundesliga game on their travels since May 2023. That's a run of 25 matches - the third-longest streak in the division's history (Bayern have managed runs of 33 and 26 games).

Firing forwards

These two sides have a wealth of attacking talent to help drive them to their goal-laden wins, with multiple culprits capable of creating for them. For Leverkusen, Wirtz is a creative hub and already has nine goals and eight assists, making him the third top scorer in the league, three behind teammate Patrik Schick. The Czech frontman - once of Leipzig - has netted an astonishing 12 goals in eight games, all of which have come from Matchday 10 onwards.

Schick’s record has him at a goal every 59 minutes currently - a ratio which if continued would be a Bundesliga record. Robert Lewandowski still holds the crown for that title, having ended the 2020/21 season with 41 goals, or one every 60 minutes.

Just behind Wirtz with eight goals this season is Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško, making him the team’s top scorer ahead of strike partner Openda (six). The Belgian has contributed more assists (five) however, and showed last season what he’s capable of with a 24-goal haul.

Just as Schick and Wirtz work in tandem, so do Leipzig’s strike duo with Xavi Simons. The young Dutchman has been limited to 10 league appearances due to injury this season, and he’s been sorely missed; in the eight games that Leipzig have been without him, they’ve managed 10 points, but in the 10 games he has played they've collected 21 points.

Having returned to action with two goals against Werder Bremen on Matchday 16, Leipzig will need Xavi at his brilliant best if they’re to do a league double over Leverkusen.

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