Bayer Leverkusen entertain Hertha Berlin at the BayArena in their upcoming Bundesliga fixture on Saturday.
The hosts retained the third spot in the league standings before the international break as they secured a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg in their previous outing. Hertha Berlin secured their first win of the year in their previous outing as they overcame Hoffenheim 3-0 at home.
The hosts are third in the standings with 48 points while the visiting side are third from the bottom with 28 points, so, on paper Leverkusen are the favorites.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Head-to-Head
The two sides have squared off 57 times across all competitions so far. The hosts have enjoyed an upper hand over their eastern rivals, securing 27 wins. Die Alte Dame have 17 wins to their name while 13 games have ended in draws.
The reverse fixture at the Olympiastadion in Berlin ended in a 1-1 draw, with Robert Andrich scoring a late equalizer for Die Werkself.
Bayer Leverkusen form guide (all competitions): W-L-L-L-D
Hertha Berlin form guide (Bundesliga): W-L-L-L-L
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Team News
Bayer Leverkusen
The hosts have several notable absentees for the game and the coming weeks. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is set to miss out on action this month with a muscle injury while Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have been ruled out for the rest of the season with ACL and ankle injuries respectively.
Amine Adli was injured in the game against Wolfsburg and he will likely be out for the remainder of the season.
Andrey Lunev remains out while the involvement of star striker Patrik Schick is doubtful with a calf injury. Kerem Demirbay is suspended for the game with his 10th yellow card of the campaign.
Injured: Andrey Lunev, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Amine Adli
Doubtful: Patrik Schick
Suspended: Kerem Demirbay
Hertha Berlin
Kelian Nsona is a long-term absentee with an ACL injury while Rune Jarstein trained for the first time this season and his involvement in the game remains doubtful.
Injured: Kelian Nsona
Doubtful: Rune Jarstein
Suspended: None
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Predicted XI
Bayer Leverkusen Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lukas Hradecky (GK); Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Mitchel Bakker; Charles Aranguiz, Robert Andrich; Moussa Diaby, Sardar Azmoun, Paulinho; Lucas Alario
Hertha Berlin Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Alexander Schwolow (GK); Maximilian Mittelstädt, Dedryck Boyata, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Peter Pekarik; Niklas Stark; Suat Serdar, Lucas Tousart, Santiago Ascacibar, Marco Richter; Ishak Belfodil
$1,000 Risk-Free Bet at BetMGM SB
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Prediction
The hosts have four losses in their home games in the Bundesliga, while the visiting side have just a couple of wins in their travels this season. Though Leverkusen are in better form than the visitors, they are without a win in this fixture since 2019, scoring just one goal in five games.
They have a lengthy absentee list for the game and that might have an impact on the outcome of the game. We predict the game will end in a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Hertha Berlin.