An imperious Bayer Leverkusen side return to action with an away trip to the Weserstadion to face Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Xabi Alonso's side signed off for the international break with yet another win to maintain their place at the top of the table after 11 matches.
Match preview
© Reuters
A 4-0 thrashing of strugglers Union Berlin kept Leverkusen's extraordinary unbeaten start going into the season's third international break.
Chasing a first-ever Bundesliga title, Leverkusen have made their best start to a top-flight season, winning 10 from 11 games, with the only blemish being a still-impressive 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich.
Across all competitions, Alonso's men have been exceptional, winning all four Europa League games and their DFB-Pokal fixture with Sandhausen earlier this month too, netting 51 goals in their 16 matches this season.
Despite the remarkable start though, Leverkusen still only find themselves two points ahead of a Bayern side who are also unbeaten, knowing any slip-up will likely see them slip to second.
However, while Harry Kane has been the scorer of 40% of Bayern's league goals, Leverkusen look slightly more sustainable in the way they have shared the goals all around their squad.
Left-back Alex Grimaldo has an incredible tally of eight already, while Victor Boniface, Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann have all contributed greatly too.
© Reuters
Leverkusen are not the ideal side Ole Werner would have liked to face, as Werder will look to reset following the break after an underwhelming start.
Recent form has evaded them, as their only win in almost two months came against Union Berlin, who have lost 10 straight matches domestically.
Back-to-back 2-2 draws with possible European candidates Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt before the break has moved them away from trouble, for now though at least.
Sitting in 12th, Bremen sit four points clear of trouble, and avoiding relegation is likely to be the aim again for them this season.
Home form has been pivotal in keeping them above the dotted line so far, as all three wins this season have come at the Weserstadion, with Hoffenheim and Bayern the only sides to win here so far.
Team News
© Reuters
Bremen should be able to welcome back Jiri Pavlenka in goal despite missing Czech Republic duty last week.
Pavlenka started in their friendly with Hansa Rostock during the break, but Christian Gross (calf) and Naby Keita (hip) were absent and are likely to miss out again.
Nicolai Rapp's foot injury is also set to sideline him, as Leon Opitz is also recovering from a ligament issue.
The big injury doubt for Leverkusen concerns Jeremie Frimpong, as the wing-back did not feature for Holland because of a hip problem.
Nathan Tella could come in as a makeshift right wing-back, meaning the front three of Hofmann, Boniface and Wirtz is likely to remain unchanged.
Edmond Tapsoba returned to action for Burkina Faso after missing the last few Leverkusen games with a broken hand and may come in for either Piero Hincapie or Odilon Kossounou.
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Veljkovic, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Schmid, Stage, Bittencourt, Deman; Borre, Ducksch
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Tella, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Boniface, Wirtz
We say: Werder Bremen 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
The fact Leverkusen are still yet to stumble suggests they could maintain their challenge at the top, and they should have enough to navigate their way past a potentially tricky test here against Werder.
Alonso will hope they can get through this week still on top and past Hacken with limited fuss in midweek, before a huge trip to Borussia Dortmund next weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
