Bayer Leverkusen eyes 7th consecutive league win over Mainz 05.

By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

After a thrilling restart at the weekend following the winter break, the Bundesliga is moving straight onto a midweek round of fixtures.

The developing title race is sure to seize fans’ attention once more. Bayer 04 Leverkusen burst out of the blocks in 2025 with a superb 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund in the first Bundesliga fixture of the year last Friday.

The champions’ sixth consecutive league win has put them in serious contention to retain their crown as the season reaches its halfway point with the upcoming matchday.

A win at home to 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Tuesday evening would move Leverkusen within a point of leaders FC Bayern. That cannot be taken for granted though, with Bo Henriksen’s side continuing their sensational form into the new year with a 2-0 victory over VfL Bochum 1848 at the weekend that makes it six wins out of seven, as they ride high in fifth.

Two red-hot strikers will look to make their mark on the encounter. Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick added another two goals against Dortmund to make it an incredible 11 strikes in his last six Bundesliga appearances, while Mainz’s Jonathan Burkardt also bagged a brace at the weekend to take his total for the season to a new personal best of 12.

Bayern had to be patient away at Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first encounter of the new year, but a second-half Harry Kane penalty saw them seal a crucial three points and ensure they will be top of the Bundesliga at the halfway stage for a 27th time. The leaders host TSG Hoffenheim on Wednesday in their first home encounter of their 125th anniversary year, with the visitors down in 15th and keen to avoid being embroiled in a
relegation battle.

Mainz’s good form has put pressure on Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, who are both two points ahead of the 05ers and complete the top four currently. The pair face difficult encounters in the coming matchday, with Frankfurt hosting sixth-placed SC Freiburg and RB Leipzig travelling to VfB Stuttgart, who are seventh.

Omar Marmoush netted his 14th goal of the season as Frankfurt won at FC St. Pauli at the weekend, while Leipzig were boosted by the return of Xavi after a long injury break, the playmaker scoring twice as they beat SV Werder Bremen 4-2. Deniz Undav meanwhile marked his injury comeback for Stuttgart with a match-winning strike as a substitute in a 1-0 win at FC Augsburg.

The bottom two, Holstein Kiel and Bochum, will be determined to claim points to aid their ambitions of climbing to safety after they both started the year with a defeat. Kiel get the matchday underway by hosting Dortmund in an early kick-off on Tuesday evening and will hope the Black and Yellows’ underwhelming away form so far this season continues.

Bochum host 14th-placed St. Pauli, who like Hoffenheim are just a point ahead of the relegation play-off position, in a six-pointer at the bottom. The current occupants of 16th spot are 1. FC Heidenheim 1846, who started the year with a 2-0 home win over 1. FC Union Berlin to boost their confidence ahead of a trip to ninth-placed Bremen. 

Union are down in 12th, just four points in front of Heidenheim, and will be hoping for a vital upturn as Steffen Baumgart takes charge of them at home for the first time against Augsburg, a point behind them in 13th.

There is also a mid-table battle on Tuesday evening as VfL Wolfsburg, who continued their encouraging form with a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim at the weekend, host Gladbach. The hosts start the match in 10th, level on points with the visitors who are sitting just one place below them in the table.

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