Fighting to keep hold of top spot in the Bundesliga, Freiburg will travel to face Bayer Leverkusen for a finely-poised clash at BayArena on Sunday.

Die Werkself could make it five wins on the bounce this weekend, while Die Breisgau-Brasilianer are eyeing a 10th game unbeaten.

Match preview

Leverkusen missed out on qualifying for the Champions League last season, but they have made a strong start towards that goal this time around under Carles Martinez Novell.

The 42-year-old was appointed in June to replace Kasper Hjulmand, and while his team lost their Bundesliga opener 3-2 against Elversberg, they have bounced back in impressive fashion.

Since thrashing Union Berlin 4-0 on matchday two, Die Werkself have gone undefeated, winning five of their six games across all competitions.

Most recently, Leverkusen followed up a dramatic 4-3 triumph over Mainz 05 with a 4-0 demolition of Lech Poznan in the Europa League on Thursday.

That victory marked the Black and Reds' third clean sheet in four outings, highlighting a level of defensive resilience that will be crucial up against the league leaders on Sunday.

Full of confidence ahead of this weekend's showdown, Die Werkself sit fourth in the Bundesliga, where their tally of 10 points has them just three behind the visitors.

Meanwhile, Julian Schuster's Freiburg have enjoyed an impeccable campaign to date, shaking off their defeat in last season's Europa League final to maintain the momentum that brought them there in the first place.

In fact, that disappointment was Die Breisgau-Brasilianer's most recent competitive loss, a record made even more impressive by the fact they have won all but one of their nine matches across all competitions so far.

On Thursday, Schuster's men kicked off their Conference League league-phase with a 3-2 triumph over FK Baumit Jablonec, building on a 2-1 victory against Schalke 04 four days prior.

Returning to domestic action on Sunday, Freiburg fans will be sneaking glances at the Bundesliga table, given they stand at the top of the tree with 13 points after a run of four wins and one draw from their first five games.

The visitors have also bagged 14 league goals so far, a total only bettered by RB Leipzig (15) and Bayern Munich (16), while no side have conceded fewer in the German top flight.

However, detractors would point out that Die Breisgau-Brasilianer have kept just one clean sheet from their past five outings overall, conceding twice in three of those fixtures.

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

Freiburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Team News

Leverkusen are without right-back Guela Doue due to a calf injury, while Montrell Culbreath is a doubt as he builds fitness following a return to team training.

If Culbreath is unavailable, then Jarell Quansah will be ready to start on the right of a back four featuring Edmond Tapsoba, Facundo Medina and Miguel Gutierrez.

In the centre of the park, 17-year-old defensive midfielder Kennet Eichhorn's metabolic disorder has stabilised, but he is unlikely to play again until 2027 as he undergoes a gradual conditioning programme.

With that in mind, Aleix Garcia and Robert Andrich could form the hosts' double pivot behind Ibrahim Maza, who should start in the number 10 role considering the hamstring injury that Martin Terrier picked up against Lech Poznan.

Elsewhere, left winger Eliesse Ben Seghir is dealing with a muscle issue, and striker Christian Kofane has a thigh injury, so expect to see Moussa Diaby and Afonso Moreira supporting centre-forward Patrik Schick from out wide.

As for Freiburg, they are missing attacking midfielder Yuito Suzuki, who is suspended after being sent off against Schalke, though Lucas Holer, Jan-Niklas Beste and Derry Scherhant should be on hand to start behind Igor Matanovic.

Left-back Berkay Yilmaz is a doubt after sitting out for a number of training days earlier this week, but Jordy Makengo will be ready to play in his position.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Quansah, Tapsoba, Medina, Gutierrez; Garcia, Andrich; Diaby, Maza, Moreira; Schick

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Treu, Lienhart, Ginter, Makengo; Engelhardt, Eggestein; Beste, Holer, Scherhant; Matanovic

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Freiburg

There is little to separate these two teams, but Leverkusen's recent defensive strength suggests that they could have a narrow edge on Sunday.

However, Freiburg are sure to pose a major threat to Die Werkself, and it would be a surprise if they were to blank at BayArena after scoring in every one of their matches this term.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.