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Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich: probable line-ups and match stats!

Kai Havertz will be looking to inspire his Bayer Leverkusen side to another famous result against Robert Lewandowski and league leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST/2.30pm BST/9.30am ET).

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Leverkusen fans were given a scare last Friday when Havertz went off injured five minutes after scoring the only goal of the game in their 1-0 win over Freiburg. Peter Bosz has given the 20-year-old attacking all-rounder the all-clear for this game, though, which is a huge boost to the home side. Havertz has nine goals in the second half of this season alone, scoring six times in his last four league outings while leading the Leverkusen attack. Havertz is expected to do the same against Bayern despite Kevin Volland and Lucas Alario returning to fitness. The only absentee for Bosz is captain Lars Bender. After scoring a brace in the reverse fixture - a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena for Leverkusen - Leon Bailey is pushing for a start, but he faces stiff competition on either flank from Karim Bellarabi and Moussa Diaby, with the former being rested last time out. Kerem Demirbay was on the bench fo last Friday's win at Freiburg on the bench but could come in into midfield alongside Charles Aranguiz. Julian Baumgartlinger is a more defensive alternative.

It's been business as usual for Bayern since the restart. The league leaders have extended their gap at the top of the table to seven points having won four out of four, and the only player to score more league goals than Havertz in 2020, Lewandowski, is bang in form with his eyes set on breaking Gerd Müller's 40-goal season record. Hansi Flick has been boosted by the return to fitness of Spanish playmaker Thiago. He could slot in for Leon Goretzka. Philippe Coutinho and Niklas Süle are working their way back to full fitness in the hope of playing again before the end of the campaign. Jerome Boateng should accompany David Alaba at centre-back once again, though, as Bayern look to avoid suffering two defeats in one season against Leverkusen for the first time in their history.

Match stats

  • Leverkusen have won their last two Bundesliga encounters with Bayern. They have never won three in a row against the record champions.
  • Leverkusen have won two and lost just one of their last six home matches against the record champions: the 3-1 reverse on 12 January 2018. Bayern have failed to score on four of their last eight visits to the BayArena.
  • Havertz is Leverkusen’s top scorer with 11, five of which have come in the four matches since the season restart. His strike at Freiburg on Matchday 29 took him to 35 Bundesliga goals making the Leverkusen prodigy the first-ever to reach the milestone before his 21st birthday.
  • Bayern have scored 86 goals this term - a Bundesliga record after 29 rounds of fixtures.
  • Lewandowski is on course to win his fifth Torjägerkanone for the league’s top goal-getter and his third in a row, but has only scored five times in 17 meetings with Leverkusen
  • Flick has only lost twice as Bayern coach: to Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. In 19 league matches at the helm, he has claimed 49 points (W16, D1).

Probable line-ups

Leverkusen: Hradecky - Weiser, S. Bender, Tapsoba, Sinkgraven - Aranguiz, Demirbay - Bellarabi, Amiri, Diaby - Havertz (c)
Out: L. Bender (foot)
Doubtful: -
Coach: Peter Bosz

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies - Kimmich, Thiago - Gnabry, Müller, Coman - Lewandowski
Out: Coutinho (ankle), Süle (match fitness), Tolisso (ankle)
Doubtful: Mai (ankle)
Coach: Hansi Flick

Source: Bundesliga