Bayer Leverkusen begin their Bundesliga campaign at BayArena on Saturday, looking to get the better of Super Cup winners RB Leipzig.
Xabi Alonso’s side had an encouraging off-season, while Leipzig began competitive action with last week’s thrashing of defending league champions Bayern Munich.
Last season began awfully for Leverkusen before Alonso came in and steadied the ship, taking the club to a Europa League semi-final and sixth place.
The Spaniard starts his first campaign at the club on Saturday with Leipzig visitors to the Bay Arena, looking for a positive start as they aim for a Champions League spot.
Even at an embryonic stage of the campaign, the points could be pivotal for Bayer as the campaign progresses, adding some importance to Saturday’s game in North Rhine-Westphalia.
They had their first competitive clash last weekend in the DFB Cup, annihilating Teutonia Ottensen 8-0 with new signings Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann finding the back of the net.
After guiding the club to sixth place, having taken over when the club were second bottom, Alonso’s troops hope for a bright start in 2023-24.
Leipzig are unlikely to be acquiescent opponents on Saturday, with the Red Bulls still elated after last week’s 3-0 defeat of Bayern in the Super Cup.
Dani Olmo’s hat-trick secured Marco Rose’s team the first title of the new season, but the real business starts at Bay Arena this weekend.
Rose’s results since taking charge last September are commendable, with no Bundesliga side accruing more than Die Roten Bullen’s 61 points — Bayern’s 60 comes closest.
The club’s new signings seem to have acclimatised, suggesting the departures of Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City, Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool may not be as daunting for Leipzig.
It remains to be seen if last Saturday’s result was a one-off, but Rose’s men must show consistency in the league to have any chance of usurping Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Apart from Boniface and Hofman, Alonso is expected to utilise other new arrivals in varying capacities, with Granit Xhaka and Alex Grimaldo likely to feature.
Amine Adli and Sardar Azmoun are suspended, while Piero Hincapie and Patrik Schick are ruled out.
As for Leipzig, Lois Openda, Nicolas Seiwald, and Xavi Simons should all make their Bundesliga debuts for the club against Bayer.
Even if he did not score against Bayern, Timo Werner carries a threat in the attacking third to hurt Bayer if he gets room to show his quality.
Kevin Kampl has a muscular injury, and a knee injury is set to prevent a Bundesliga debut for El Chadaille Bitshiabu — while Peter Gulacsi (knee) and Amadou Haidara (calf) are absent on the opening day.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Boniface
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum; Schlager, Seiwald; Simons, Olmo; Werner, Openda
We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 RB Leipzig
Despite the promise of goals, the winner of the last five games between Leverkusen and Leipzig has seen the winning side keep a clean sheet.
That is not expected this time, with Alonso’s side edging proceedings in game week one.
