Hamburg SV vs. Bayer Leverkusen – News and Probable Lineups

Following a challenging end to February in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen, they face a crucial fixture against hosts Hamburg SV on Wednesday at Volksparkstadion, where losing is not an option.

The newly-promoted Hamburg sit in 11th place with 26 points, just four points above the 16th position, while sixth-placed Leverkusen has accumulated 40 points, which is six less than the total of 44 points that fourth-placed Stuttgart has.

Match overview

Merlin Polzin’s team was narrowly defeated 2-1 by RB Leipzig on Sunday, despite initially taking the lead in the 22nd minute, which came from their second of three shots in the box.

The club’s defeat followed a 1-1 draw with Mainz 05 on February 20, with Hamburg managing two wins and three draws across their last five matches.

HSV has been able to find the net in each of their last five fixtures, netting nine goals in total, which accounts for 34.6% of their overall 26 Bundesliga goals this season.

Even though the gap to 16th place is narrow, Wednesday’s match serves as a game in hand for Hamburg, and a win could elevate them to 10th place with 10 matches remaining.

While Polzin has witnessed only one loss in his last five home matches as head coach, their sole victory in that span came alongside conceding seven goals.

Leverkusen managed a 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Saturday, which followed a 1-0 defeat to Union Berlin on February 21.

Kasper Hjulmand’s squad escaped a humiliating defeat against Mainz thanks to Jarell Quansah’s equalising goal in the 88th minute. However, it is worrying that this was the only goal they have scored in their last three matches.

With the visitors needing to keep pace with fifth-placed RB Leipzig and fourth-placed Stuttgart, failure to do so might result in them needing victories against both in their final three fixtures of the season to secure qualification for either the Champions League or Europa League.

Die Schwarzroten are still searching for a win in their last three outings, with two draws and one loss, although their defeat to Union Berlin marks their only loss in the last ten matches.

Even though Leverkusen was second best against Union, they had previously won two and drawn one of their last three away fixtures.

Die Werkself hasn’t played against Hamburg since February 2018, but they have a favorable record, winning three of their last four encounters with Wednesday’s opponents.

Team News

Hamburg’s key defenders Warmed Omari, Jordânia Torunarigha, and Luka Vuskovic have frequently been part of the starting lineup this season, and their participation on Wednesday seems likely.

Nicolai Remberg has emerged as one of the standout defensive midfielders in the league this season and might team up with Fabio Vieira in the central area of the field.

For Leverkusen, defenders Quansah and Edmond Tapsoba are expected to again be joined by midfielder Robert Andrich in a three-man defensive setup with Loic Bade sidelined due to injury.

With wing-back options Arthur and Lucas Vazquez out of action, Axel Tape is one of the few remaining candidates for the right-sided position in the lineup.

Ezequiel Fernandez and Aleix Garcia are expected to line up in the midfield duo for the visitors, while Ibrahim Maza and Ernest Poku may support forward Patrik Schick.

Hamburgo SV probable starting XI:

Fernandes; Omari, Vuskovic, Torunarigha; Gocholeishvili, Vieira, Remberg, Mikelbrencis; Konigsdorffer, Glatzel, Hotels

Bayer Leverkusen probable starting XI:

Blaswich; Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba; Tape, Fernandez, Garcia, Grimaldo; Maza, Poku; Schick

Given the current form of Leverkusen’s attackers, it wouldn’t be surprising if they struggle to create enough opportunities to secure a win on Wednesday.

Hamburg will be looking to exploit their opponents’ vulnerabilities; however, their challenge has been securing victories at home, and they may need to settle for another draw instead.