Highlights

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90'
+ 5

Leverkusen march on!

That's 13 games without defeat now for Alonso's Bayer. They're up to sixth and only four points off Leipzig in fifth.
Full-time
90'
+ 4

Win Probability

information
Win Probability
This Match Fact documents significant changes in the probability of victory for both teams during the course of the match. The value is based on actual match play and incorporates existing Match Facts such as Expected Goals, Skill and Set-Piece Dange
Penalty, red card, goal. The moment that decided this game.
84'
85.5 %
86'
99.1 %
90'
+ 1

Added time

We've got four additional minutes. Surely too big a mountain for Leipzig to climb now.
90'
+ 1

Substitution

90'

Brave decision

That penalty was the first Amiri had ever taken in the Bundesliga.
90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

information
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
86'

Amiri converts!

Blaswich gets a hand to it low to his right, but that surely wraps up all three points for the hosts.
86'

Nadiem Amiri

GOAL!

2:0
Nadiem Amiri
Goal probability
information
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
77 %
85'

Penalty Leverkusen!

Frimpong is away from the halfway line. Szoboszlai slides in trying to stop a shot and catches the Dutchman. Penalty and a second yellow for the Hungarian.
85'
Video Assistant RefereeVideo Assistant Referee
SituationPenalty
ReviewFoul?
DecisionPenalty
83'

Frimpong!

Chance to finish this for Frimpong as Adli slips him in, but Blaswich - who's been an observer for most of this half - sorts his feet just in time.
80'

All hands on deck for Bayer

Leipzig deliver cross after cross into the Leverkusen box, but each time the hosts manage to get it away.
75'

Laimer takes one

First time in a while Leverkusen have been able to break out, led by Frimpong. Laimer has only been on a few minutes and takes one for the team with his foul.
74'

All Leipzig

It's 12-0 for shots in Leipzig's favour in the second half, but still they trail.
Goal attempts
2off target
2on target
14off target
7on target
73'

Nkunku wide

Simakan does well to get past Hincapie in a tight space and flashes it across goal. Nkunku gets across the front post but can't hit the target.
72'

A string of yellows

A few cautions dished out by referee Schlager. The latest for Haidara breaking up a counter is his fifth of the campaign and means he'll miss next week against Hoffenheim.
66'

Scramble!

Leverkusen survive a real scare at the back as Hradecky claws at a miscued Werner shot. The ball looks to be there to poke over the line, but red shirts recover just in time to scramble it clear.
64'

Still Leipzig with the ball

Possession (%)
3862
62'

Nkunku!

First we've really seen of the Frenchman as Gvardiol manages to head the ball back to him when winning a high ball at a corner, but his snatched left-footed effort deflects behind.
62'

Pressure Handling

information
Pressure Handling
This Match Fact examines how successfully players perform under pressure. The percentage of "solved situations" indicates how often a player has freed himself from opponent pressure by dribbling, passing, scoring a goal or drawing a foul.
73%
%
Kevin Kampl
11 times under pressure
Kevin Kampl
60'

End of the inversion

Left-footed Halstenberg is off. Henrichs is staying over on the left. You might have thought that Simakan would drop into the back three and Klosterman shifts forward, but Rose has kept his back line intact for now.
60'

Which side played on Thursday night?

Distance run (km)
78.3
76.4
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Hlozek the difference so far

52'

Nearly from Gvardiol

Great leap from the Croatian to get above three static Leverkusen defenders at a corner, but the delivery was always a bit too high and he can only flick his header on.
50'

Potential deja-vu?

The last time Leipzig came from behind to win a Bundesliga away game after trailing at the break was in April 2019 when they were 2-1 down here before winning 4-2.
46'

Back we come

Leverkusen resume the action unchanged. Leipzig have still got their inverted wing-backs, by the way. Halstenberg won 11 of his 12 challenges in the first half over on the right.
Kick-off!
45'
+ 3

Here comes Nkunku

Leipzig's main man had been out warming up during the break and is indeed introduced for the second half. Kampl makes way.
45'
+ 3

Advantage Leverkusen

It's turned into an even encounter after Bayer found their feet. Clear-cut chances have been at a premium, but Hlozek's well-taken finish has proven the difference in the first 45 minutes.
Half-time
45'
+ 1

Added time

We'll have two additional minutes at the BayArena.
43'

One big chance, one goal

information
xGoals
The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).
xGoals
1
0.25
0.22
0
Goals
40'

Bayer lead!

No player has had as few touches of the ball as Hlozek, but he clearly doesn't need many with this first-time finish to steer in a Diaby cutback on his left foot. Lovely finish and Alonso's men are in front.
40'
Adam Hložek
Goal probability
information
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
18 %
37'

Unlucky or inaccurate?

No team has struck the frame of the goal this season as often as Leverkusen (15).
32'

Off the bar!

Out of nowhere, Leverkusen come within inches of the lead as Hincapie has a crack on the angle from a good 25 yards out on the left. Blaswich looked like he was going for it before pulling his hands away. He'll be very relieved at the sound of the ball crashing back off the woodwork and away.
30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

information
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
28'

Wasted

And Leverkusen counter from that corner with six red shirts against five in white. It lands with Bakker with the chance to square, but it's blocked and the flag also goes up for offside. The Dutchman is livid the pass didn't come earlier.
27'

Szoboszlai again

A good 25 yards out from the Hungarian but it's blocked by Tah for a corner, which is immediately cleared.
26'

Too sloppy from Alonso's men

Leipzig have played over twice as many passes but still been more accurate with an 88% completion. Leverkusen have found a teammate only 77% of the time.
Passes
106
230
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Leipzig started on the front foot at the BayArena

22'

Now Diaby...

Demirbay pumps a free-kick long into the box. It's headed clear by Klostermann but only as far as Diaby, who connects on the half volley but it's always rising.
21'

Air shot from Frimpong

More promising this time from Bayer as Bakker gets up the left and crosses deep. Frimpong looks to run onto it and volley, but ends up getting nothing on it - perhaps distracted by Diaby's presence in front of him.
19'

Olmo down

A crunching challenge from Andrich on Olmo leaves the Spaniard writhing on pain. The Leverkusen midfielder is never one to hold back. Olmo is find after a quick check.
18'

Leipzig quick to recover

A combination of Leipzig pressing and Leverkusen sloppiness on the ball means the visitors have been far quicker to win back possession than the hosts.
18'

Ball Recovery Time

information
Ball Recovery Time
Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).
B04
RBL
21.4 s
11 s
14'

Comes to nothing

Bayer do now get forward with Frimpong able to run into some space up the right, but he's not got any options in the middle and the attack breaks down.
14'

Leverkusen yet to get forward

Goal attempts
0off target
0on target
5off target
1on target
10'

Leipzig's ball in the early stages

Although this is perhaps expected. Xabi Alonso may have played in teams that dominated the ball, but his Bayer side are more than happy to sit back, soak it up and then break with lighting speed.
Possession (%)
3268
8'

Now Szoboszlai has a go

He'll shoot from almost anywhere and now goes from a similar position as Gvardiol. Similarly well struck, similarly wide of Hradecky's right-hand post.
6'

A tactical variation?

Strangely, Henrichs is out on the left flank for now, with Halstenberg over on the right. And for a moment, Kampl was even wider than wing-back Henrichs. Is this a tactical choice from Rose or will they switch back when play next halts.
2'

Gvardiol has a crack

Ball comes out for the left centre-back to have a crack from some 25 yards. A decent strike but it's always going wide.
Kick-off!

Couple of milestones

Kossounou makes his 50th Bundesliga appearance today since the 22-year-old's summer 2021 move to Leverkusen from Club Brugge in Belgium. And it's a 250th competitive game in Leipzig colours for Lukas Klostermann. The 26-year-old joined the club in 2014.

What's at stake?

Leverkusen put their 12-game unbeaten run across competitions on the line as they look to move back above Mainz into the top six and reduce the seven-point gap to Leipzig in fifth. The visitors, meanwhile, need a win of their own to go back third and above Freiburg - who are cruising to victory against Schalke right now - and Union Berlin, who go to Gladbach later.
1:39
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Watch: Leipzig take in the BayArena surroundings

Leipzig team news

RB boss Marco Rose makes just one enforced change to the team that won 3-2 at home to Augsburg last weekend as Marcel Halstenberg replaces the suspended David Raum at left wing-back. Christopher Nkunku is on the bench again - expect to see him get more of a run about today. Yussuf Poulsen is also back in the squad.

Leverkusen team news

Xabi Alonso makes three changes from the side that booked a place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with a 4-1 win at Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday. Odilon Kossounou, Kerem Demirbay and Amine Adli come in for Nadiem Amiri (bench), Edmond Tapsoba (muscle strain) and Florian Wirtz (ill).
0:28
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Watch: The hosts have arrived

Leipzig XI

Blaswich - Klostermann, Orban (c), Gvardiol - Henrichs, Kampl, Haidara, Halstenberg - Szoboszlai, Werner, Olmo

Leipzig subs

Nyland, Simakan, Poulsen, Forsberg, Nkunku, Silva, Ba, Laimer, Diallo

Leverkusen XI

Hradecky (c) - Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie - Frimpong, Andrich, Demirbay, Bakker - Diaby, Hlozek, Adli

Leverkusen subs

Pentz, Azmoun, Amiri, Mbamba, Sinkgraven, Fosu-Mensah, Azhil, Bellarabi
camera-photo

Alonso: "We're going for it!"

Having advanced to the Europa League semi-finals and placed themselves firmly in the European running, Alonso says there will be no letting up from his side. "We have been able to compete in both competitions to date," said the Spaniard. "We want to go for it in the league and in Europe!"
camera-photo

Rose: "We're full of confidence"

Leipzig boss Marco Rose acknowledged Leverkusen's excellent form in midweek but says his team are riding high themselves after a good couple of weeks of their own. "We’re full of confidence going to Leverkusen," said Rose. "We know that there are only six games left. We’re approaching the season run-in now and we want to achieve our goals."
4:41
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Watch: Moussa Diaby - Bundesliga's Best

Chart the journey of Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby from the suburbs of Paris, the academy of Paris Saint-Germain - where he played alongside and became friends with Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku - to one of the Bundesliga's best - and quickest - players in front of goal.
0:35
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Watch: Playmakers face off - Wirtz vs. Olmo

2:03
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Watch: Leipzig 2-0 Leverkusen - highlights

Nkunku and Werder did the damage for Leipzig in the reverse fixture. It's one of only five defeats Bayer have suffered across 20 Bundesliga matches with Alonso at the helm.

Nkunku ready to rock!

Christopher Nkunku returned after a month-long injury lay-off last time out, coming through 16 second-half minutes unscathed. Even though it was his second spell on the sidelines since November, he remains Leipzig's 12-goal top scorer in this season's Bundesliga (19 appearances). League wide, only Vincenzo Grifo, Marcus Thuram, Randal Kolo Muani (all 13) and Niclas Füllkrug (16) have scored more.
2:03
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Watch: Wolfsburg 0-0 Leverkusen - highlights

Leverkusen's five-match winning run was ended in Wolfsburg, but Xabi Alonso's side are now unbeaten in seven Bundesliga games.
2:03
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Watch: Leipzig 3-2 Augsburg - highlights

Timo Werner scored a couple of fabulous goals as Leipzig consolidated fourth place with victory over Augsburg - their third straight competitive win.

HUGE top-six clash!

Leverkusen put their late push for a top-six finish on the line against a resurgent Leipzig team battling it out to hold down one of four UEFA Champions League qualifications places. Throw in Messrs Wirtz, Nkunku, Diaby and Werner - and it should be an absolute cracker!
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Hello and welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live match coverage of the Matchday 29 fixture between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig.