Champions Bayer Leverkusen have reinvigorated their Bundesliga title charge and will look to continue their strong form when they host Freiburg at BayArena on Saturday.
Die Schwarzroten are second with 29 points and only trail Bayern Munich by four points following their 2-0 victory against Augsburg on December 14, whereas the visitors beat Wolfsburg 3-2 on December 13 and are fifth in the table with 24 points.
Match preview
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Leverkusen's match against Augsburg was a relatively dull affair, with the teams producing just one big chance between them, but first-half goals from Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz were enough to secure victory.
Xabi Alonso was pleased with the composure his players displayed, telling reporters: "I am very satisfied with the game and especially with the way we played. We were very solid, had good control and that's not easy. That's the way we want to play in away matches."
Alonso's side had dropped points in six of their first 10 league games, but they have won their last four and have also triumphed in each of their last seven matches in all competitions.
It should be noted that the champions have also kept four clean sheets in their six most recent outings, as many as they had in their prior 13 games.
Leverkusen have not been as potent offensively in the past weeks considering they have scored eight goals in their last five games, whereas they had netted 10 times in the prior two.
Since losing at home against RB Leipzig on August 31, the hosts have won eight times and settled for a draw on two occasions at BayArena.
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As for Freiburg, they had taken a 3-0 lead by the 61st minute against Wolfsburg, but goals from the Wolves in the 75th and 83rd minutes made the end of the match unnecessarily uncomfortable.
Manager Julian Schuster acknowledged that his players should have done better defensively, but was ultimately satisfied, saying: "We won today against a very, very strong Wolfsburg team. That's what counts. Of course we should have scored the fourth goal earlier, and of course we made it unnecessarily exciting, but today there is no complaining."
Schuster's side have found the back of the net eight times while conceding six goals in their four most recent games.
Freiburg's form in the last weeks is mixed, with the club losing two, winning two and drawing one of their five most recent fixtures, though they have only lost once in their last six Bundesliga matches.
The visitors have lost two and drawn two of their last four away games in the league and have won just twice in their past nine top-flight matches on the road, succumbing to defeat on four occasions.
Team News
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Leverkusen's extensive injury list has fortunately cleared up, though forwards Amine Adli and Jonas Hofmann will miss out, while Victor Boniface is a doubt.
Wirtz was fielded in a supportive role alongside Nathan Tella last time out, and the duo are likely to support striker Patrik Schick.
Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich could start in a double pivot in front of a back three featuring Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie.
Meanwhile, Freiburg will be without midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh until February, so expect Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage to appear together in the middle of the pitch.
Goalkeeper Florian Muller has been ruled out due to a concussion, but regular Noah Atubolu has started 12 of his side's 14 league games this season and would have played anyway.
Elsewhere, centre-backs Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart are probable candidates to start in a back four alongside full-backs Lukas Kubler and Christian Gunter.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Schick
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Osterhage; Doan, Holer, Grifo; Gregoritsch
We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen have looked much more resilient in recent weeks, and with most of their squad available, they should be considered favourites.
Additionally, the hosts boast a phenomenal home record while Freiburg's form on the road has been poor, so it would not be surprising if Saturday's clash was relatively straightforward for Alonso's side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
