Leverkusen welcomes an opponent in acute relegation trouble on Saturday afternoon: While the Werkself ranks fifth with 17 points, Heidenheim is fighting for survival in the Bundesliga with only five points in 18th place, the relegation spot. The omens could hardly be more contrasting, but Leverkusen goes into the game with mixed feelings: the important 1-0 away win at Benfica Lisbon in the Champions League boosted confidence, but the recent 3-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich ended an impressive run of 37 Bundesliga games without defeat. Before the Bayern game, Kasper Hjulmand’s team had won four league games in a row. Heidenheim showed slight stabilization in their recent 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, but have been waiting for a win for six games. The head-to-head record clearly favors Leverkusen: the Werkself have won the last four Bundesliga duels, most recently 1-0 in Heidenheim in April. The first half is often quiet before Leverkusen picks up the pace after the break. With rotation after the Champions League game, where many regulars were rested, players such as Schick, who scored in Lisbon, are likely to return. Heidenheim is expected to be compact defensively and wait for moments to counterattack.
- Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
- Date and time: November 8, 2025, 3:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (Matchday 10)
The starting position makes Leverkusen the clear favorite with odds of around 1.40. Their good home form, offensive strength, and mental stability after their success in Lisbon speak in favor of the Werkself, while Heidenheim has been waiting for a win for five games and has conceded goals in each of those games. A Leverkusen win is the solid choice for conservative bettors. The over 2.5 goals bet seems attractive: Leverkusen has scored at least two goals in four of its last five games and has often scored in the second half. Heidenheim has regularly conceded goals after the break, which creates good conditions for a high-scoring game. Both teams to score is a riskier but appealing option. Heidenheim last scored against Frankfurt, and Leverkusen has shown defensive weaknesses in some games. In addition, two important defenders, Tapsoba and Fernández, are missing, which increases the likelihood of conceding goals. The high odds of around 7.0 for a Heidenheim away win are interesting from a value perspective, but remain highly speculative. The recommended betting portfolio is staggered according to risk: conservative would be a Leverkusen win with a small stake, moderate would be a combination of a Leverkusen win and over 2.5 goals, aggressive would be BTTS or a draw for value players with a small stake.
Leverkusen Form & Record Check
Bayer Leverkusen is in 5th place in the Bundesliga with 17 points, just one point behind VfB Stuttgart and one ahead of Hoffenheim. Under Kasper Hjulmand, the team has picked up all the points in its last four league games after a 3-0 defeat in Munich, underlining its ability to react quickly to setbacks. The performance against Bayern was sobering: Leverkusen played defensively and looked unsettled, while Bayern mercilessly exploited quick transitions and individual mistakes. Loïc Badé’s performance was particularly negative, with his poor decisions directly leading to goals. In the Champions League, despite a weak start with only two points from three games, the team showed a strong reaction with a 1-0 away win at Benfica Lisbon. Patrik Schick scored the important goal in the 65th minute, a result that gives them courage for the remaining games in the Champions League after the 2-7 defeat to PSG. In the DFB Cup, Leverkusen prevailed 4-2 at SC Paderborn after extra time, further proof of their current mental strength. The personnel situation remains tense: Equi Fernández and Nathan Tella are out with injuries, and several players such as Palacios and Hofmann are not eligible to play in the Champions League, which makes squad planning difficult.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand is expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Equi Fernández is out indefinitely with a ligament injury, as is Nathan Tella with a knee injury, limiting the options in central midfield. Andrich and García are therefore likely to form the double six. The back three could consist of Quansah, Badé, and Tapsoba, with Arthur on the right and Grimaldo on the left. Schick is likely to play as the lone striker, with Tillman and Hofmann occupying the attacking half-positions behind him. Hofmann has a good chance of a place in the starting lineup.
Heidenheim form & record check
Heidenheim are deep in crisis, sitting bottom of the table with just five points. The team has gone five competitive games without a win, conceding at least one goal in each of those matches, all of them in the second half. This points to recurring defensive weaknesses after the break. In the 1-1 draw against Frankfurt, Budu Zivzivadze’s goal earned them a point, but they lacked the cutting edge after the equalizer. A regular Frankfurt goal was disallowed, a controversial decision that even Heidenheim captain Mainka described as questionable. The pattern of recent games is clear: 1-3 in Hoffenheim, 2-2 against Bremen, 0-1 in the cup against Hamburg, 0-1 in Stuttgart. In four of the five games, the first half was low-scoring, but in the second half the defense collapsed, suggesting tactical or fitness problems. To make matters worse, there are personnel losses: Kaufmann, Conteh, Paçarada, and Feller are out indefinitely, which limits the depth of the squad. Players such as Ibrahimovic, with his assist against Frankfurt, and goalscorer Zivzivadze are showing signs of offensive promise, but without a stable defense, it will be difficult to climb out of the bottom of the table.
Heidenheim’s expected lineup in a 4-4-2 system has not yet been determined. Further details on absences and possible replacements are still awaited.
Leverkusen – Heidenheim Head-to-head comparison & statistics
Bayer Leverkusen has won four of the last five competitive matches, while Heidenheim won once in the 2019 DFB Cup with a score of 2-1. Since then, Leverkusen has clearly dominated the head-to-head matches. A clear half-time pattern emerges: Leverkusen led at the break in four of the last five encounters, while Heidenheim has never been ahead at half-time. The fixture usually promises plenty of goals. With the exception of the narrow 1-0 win in April 2024, there have regularly been several goals, such as in the 5-2 win in November 2024 or the 4-1 win in September 2023. Heidenheim conceded goals in all five of the matches considered, but scored at least one goal in four of them. The second half proved decisive in the last four Bundesliga encounters, with several goals regularly scored after the break.
