Our prediction for this Bundesliga match:
All eyes will be on Allianz Arena when Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen face each other in the Bundesliga derby. The reigning champions have yet to find their best form, with the team failing to win the previous four league fixtures, and, no doubt, boss Julian Nagelsmann is under big pressure ahead of Friday’s showdown. Serge Gnabry should be recalled to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Augsburg, while both Leon Goretzka and Manuel Neuer have been tested positive for coronavirus.
All Lucas Hernandez, Kingsley Coman, and Bouna Sarr are sidelined with injuries. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, aim to escape the danger zone, but given their shaky defence, we predict that Bayern Munich will return to winning ways this weekend. All Exequiel Palacios, Karim Bellarabi, Andrey Lunev, Amine Adli, and Florian Wirtz are out of contention with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Matthijs de Ligt):
Matthijs de Ligt is yet another product of famous Ajax football academy. After making 17 appearances for Jong Ajax, Matthijs de Ligt started playing for the senior team in 2016. The talented centre-back, who was born on August 12, 1999 in Leiderdorp (Netherlands) made his debut for the Amsterdammers on September 21, 2016 in a cup game against Willem II. Thanks to this goal Matthijs de Ligt became the second youngest goalscorer ever, behind legendary midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
In March, 2017, the Ajax defender made his debut for the Netherlands national team in a 2-0 loss to Bulgaria in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. In 2018 he received AFC Ajax Talent of the Year award (Marco Van Basten Award). Mathiijs de Ligt’s main position is centre-back and his preferred foot is right. His contract with the Amsterdammers should expire on June 30, 2021.
In the 2016/2017 season Matthijs de Ligt and his teammates made it to the Europa League final, but Ajax were beaten by Manchester United in the title game.
Highlighted Team (Bayer Leverkusen):
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club from the city Leverkusen in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. The home kit of Bayer Leverkusen is black and red. The club is playing his home games in the Bay Arena.
Bayer Leverkusen started to play in the Bundesliga from season 1979/1980. In 1988 Bayer Leverkusen managed to win the UEFA Cup by beating Espanyol in the final with 1-0. In the national league Bayer Leverkusen has been the most successful in the last couple of years with the 2nd place as their best performance.
Bayer Leverkusen never managed to win the league title. The current biggest rival of Bayer Leverkusen is 1. Koln. Next to football Bayer Leverkusen has a volleyball and basketball division as well. Currently Bayer Leverkusen is one of the biggest teams in the Bundesliga. Known players that played for Bayer Leverkusen are: Michael Ballack, Rudi Voller, Lucio and Arturo Vidal.