Nathan Tella is a contender to switch the suspended Jeremie Frimpong when runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen entertain luckless Wolfsburg on Sunday (kick-off: 8.30pm CET).
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After Bayern Munich’s 2-2 draw with Freiburg final Friday, Leverkusen moved 10 factors clear on the prime of the desk courtesy of a 2-0 victory away at Cologne two days later. It wasn’t all excellent news for Die Werkself, nonetheless, as Frimpong, a goalscorer alongside Alejandro Grimaldo on the RheinEnergieSTADION, picked up his fifth yellow card of the marketing campaign. In consequence, he will probably be unavailable for Wolfsburg’s go to to the BayArena. Xabi Alonso, at the very least, has an acceptable substitute in Tella, who began the midweek UEFA Europa League draw with Qarabağ as Alonso made eight modifications to the workforce that beat Cologne. Trailing 2-0 at half-time, Alonso wanted assist from the likes of Frimpong and eventual goalscorers Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick, who climbed off the bench to maintain up the membership’s unbeaten run. Exequiel Palacios returned as a substiute in opposition to Mainz after which began the draw with Qarabağ however Victor Boniface, Leverkusen’s prime goalscorer within the league regardless of lacking a 3rd of the marketing campaign, is predicted to stay out till April.
Whereas Leverkusen are in dreamland on the desk’s summit, Wolfsburg are struggling in direction of the opposite finish. The eight-point buffer to the relegation play-off spot means they will nonetheless breathe comparatively straightforward, however they continue to be with out a victory in 2024 and have prevailed in simply one in all their earlier 13 top-flight outings. Nonetheless, they pushed high-flying VfB Stuttgart shut as they finally succumbed 3-2 final week and drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 22, suggesting they’ve the power to trigger the division’s prime sides issues. For this fixture, Niko Kovač must make do with out the providers of Joakim Mæhle, on the scoresheet in opposition to Stuttgart, as he sits out the sport because of suspension. Rogério and Mattias Svanberg are the one different two absentees as Die Wölfe look to spring a giant shock. To take action in opposition to Leverkusen’s miserly defence – they’ve conceded a league-low 16 targets this time period – Kovač will look to main goalscorer Jonas Wind and winter signing Kevin Behrens, who opened his Wolfsburg account within the 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 23.
Watch: Xabi Alonso steering Leverkusen in direction of title glory
Match stats
- Grimaldo has 9 targets and 9 assists to this point this Bundesliga season, making him Leverkusen’s finest participant for objective contributions, forward of the injured Boniface (10 targets, seven assists).
- Leverkusen boast a points-per-game common of two.67 – a Europe-leading common in 2023/24.
- No workforce with a 10-point lead on the prime of the Bundesliga with 10 video games to go has ever didn’t win the title.
- Wind is presently 12 Bundesliga matches with out a objective. Solely one in all his 9 strikes fell in opposition to a workforce within the present prime 5 (RB Leipzig).
- Wolfsburg have received on 4 of their final 5 journeys to Leverkusen, and are presently unbeaten in seven on the BayArena.
- Kovač performed for Leverkusen, making 77 Bundesliga appearances for the membership between 1996 and 1999. His brother and assistant coach, Robert, additionally performed for the membership.
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Possible groups
Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) – Kossounou, Tah, Hincapié – Tella, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo – Hofmann, Wirtz – Schick
Out: Arthur (thigh), Boniface (groin), Frimpong (suspended)
Uncertain: –
Coach: Xabi Alonso
Wolfsburg: Casteels – Baku, Lacroix, Jenz, Fischer – Gerhardt, Arnold (c) – Majer, Wind, Paredes – Behrens
Out: Mæhle (suspended)
Uncertain: Rogério (muscular), Svanberg (calf)
Coach: Niko Kovač