Matchday 8’s enticing clash between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart will see two of the division’s most dangerous forwards go head-to-head at the BayArena, as both Patrik Schick and Ermedin Demirović look to get their sides back on the winning trail.

The Werkself’s Czechia striker has started this season in red-hot form, becoming the first Leverkusen player ever to score on each of the first six matchdays of a Bundesliga campaign and, even if only briefly, firing himself to the top of the league’s scoring charts.

Although Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug has since overtaken him with his astonishing tally of eight goals in seven games, Schick still lies in joint-second with Michael Olise and within touching distance of the summit of the leaderboard.

Schick’s scoring touch hasn’t neglected it’s cup duties either, with Bayer’s talisman netting twice in three UEFA Europa League games, as well as twice more in their two DFB Cup fixtures, taking him to 10 goals in 12 games so far this campaign.

Watch: Schick can't stop scoring

His six league goals have come from 24 shots too, fewer than Olise (31), Harry Kane (30) and Phillip Tietz (25), both of whom are currently on fewer league goals than Schick. That gives him a shot efficiency of +2.1, the best value in the league.

Including the end of the 2025/26 season, Leverkusen’s scoring machine now has 15 goals in his last 15 Bundesliga games.

While Schick leads the way for Leverkusen up front, so does Stuttgart’s Demirović. He’s their top scorer in the league with three so far and also has four goals in just three UEFA Champions League games. A return of seven goals in 12 in all competitions means he’s not far behind his Bundesliga rival.

Ermedin Demirović continues to prove how important he is to Stuttgart's attack, as he leads the way both domestically and in Europe for them. - IMAGO/Pressefoto Rudel/Robin Rudel

The Bosnia international has netted double figures in each of his last three Bundesliga campaigns, despite not always starting as much as he would have liked. In 2025/26, for example, he netted 12 times in 25 games, but only 17 of those were starts.

Although both strikers will ultimately be judged on how many they score come the end of the season, each of them offer much more to their sides than just goals.

Demirović unsettles defenders with both his physical presence and relentless pressing, racking up 371 intensive runs in only five starts so far, while Schick continues to impress with his all-round game, as evidenced by his classy assist for Ibrahim Maza in the Werkself’s 2-1 win over Freiburg, before netting the winner himself.

Watch: Maza on his 'special' relationship with Schick

With both Leverkusen (3-0 vs. Hoffenheim) and Stuttgart (3-2 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach) having lost on Matchday 7, these two marksmen will be itching to fire their sides to all three points on Saturday, but who will come out on top?