Match Preview: Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. SGS Essen

Photo credit: SGS Essen 

Saturday afternoon, Bayer 04 Leverkusen will host SGS Essen at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. While Leverkusen is fighting to stay in contention for the top spots, Essen is struggling through a difficult season and searching for much-needed points.

Leverkusen currently sits fourth in the standings with 29 points. The team has already played two league matches this year: first, they won their rescheduled game against Freiburg 2-1, before suffering a narrow 2-3 defeat against league leaders Frankfurt. Despite this setback, Leverkusen remains one of the in-form teams in the league, having lost only twice this season – both times against the current top two teams, Frankfurt and Bayern Munich. Roberto Pätzold’s team has won nine of their last ten matches, with just one defeat in that stretch. Cornelia Kramer, with six goals and two assists, is the team’s top scorer and one of the most dangerous attacking players in the league.

Essen, meanwhile, sits ninth in the table with just eight points and continues to struggle to match last season’s strong performances. Their last game against Köln was postponed due to poor pitch conditions and has been rescheduled for February 11, meaning Essen has yet to play a competitive match this year. The team’s recent form is concerning: just one win and one draw in their last ten games, with eight defeats. Their attacking struggles are evident, as Natasha Kowalski, the team's top scorer with four goals and four assists, has been involved in nearly all of Essen’s goals. Essen has managed to score only nine goals in total this season.

Historically, Essen has often found success against Leverkusen. In 27 Bundesliga encounters, Essen has won 11 times, while Leverkusen has 7 victories, and 9 matches ended in draws. However, Essen’s last league win over Leverkusen dates back to 2021. The most recent meeting between the two sides saw Leverkusen come out on top, securing victory through goals from Kristin Kögel and Janou Levels. Despite Levels receiving a red card in the 67th minute, Essen was unable to mount a comeback.

Statistically, Leverkusen holds a clear advantage: they score an average of 2.0 goals per game from 12.38 chances, while Essen, despite averaging 11.67 chances per game, scores just 0.76 goals per match. This suggests that Leverkusen is far more clinical in front of goal and poses a greater attacking threat overall.

All signs point to Leverkusen as the clear favourite in this matchup. Essen will need a strong defensive performance to avoid another defeat. Given the current form and Leverkusen’s attacking prowess, a home victory seems the most likely outcome.