Bayer Leverkusen, leading the Bundesliga by a considerable margin, are set to host Hoffenheim at the BayArena this Saturday.
Managed by Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen aims to clinch their inaugural Bundesliga title, edging closer with just five more victories. Termed as the 'Eternal Bridesmaids,' they seek to break away from this label.
Their recent 3-2 victory against Freiburg extended Leverkusen's unbeaten streak to an unprecedented 38 matches this season. With a 10-point lead over Bayern Munich, they now stand at odds of 1/33 to secure the title, a margin never seen before in the Bundesliga at this stage.
This win also marked Leverkusen's 22nd victory of the season, setting a new club record, surpassing Bayern's tally when they clinched the title last season.
While Leverkusen's current points tally of 70 after 26 games falls short of Pep Guardiola's Bayern's 74 points in the 2013-14 season, they are on track to potentially surpass the 90-point mark, achieved only by Bayern in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
However, the focus for Leverkusen remains on securing the title first. To surpass the record of 91 points set by the 2012-13 side, they would need seven wins and a draw from their remaining eight games.
The immediate concern for Leverkusen is their recent home form, and they aim to rectify this against Hoffenheim. Despite historically winning 18 out of 31 Bundesliga matches against them, Hoffenheim poses a challenge with their decent record at the BayArena.
In the last seven matches at the BayArena, Hoffenheim has achieved notable victories with two 3-0 wins and a 4-1 triumph. However, replicating such a significant margin of victory would be surprising this time around.
The credit for this uncertainty largely falls on Leverkusen's current form rather than Hoffenheim's performance alone. Despite Hoffenheim experiencing two consecutive defeats before the break, they have maintained relatively solid form.
Pellegrino Matarazzo's team is just two points away from the seventh position, which guarantees European qualification if Leverkusen wins the DFB-Pokal.
Although Hoffenheim has typically leaned towards an attacking style since joining the Bundesliga, their defensive vulnerabilities are hindering their ascent in the league standings. In their recent losses, they conceded three goals in each match, extending their streak without a clean sheet to 22 games, the longest in the division by a considerable margin.
Exequiel Palacios will be unavailable for selection after being absent from Argentina duty last week, adding to Leverkusen's list of absentees alongside Arthur.
Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann, both part of the attacking force, are in a race to recover from injuries to be ready for club duties, having missed out on international call-ups for Nigeria and Germany respectively.
On a positive note, Alex Grimaldo is expected to play and has been in good form, having scored twice in the previous encounter against the same opponent in November. Grimaldo, the left wing-back, has now reached double figures in goals for the season.
John Brooks, who received a red card in Hoffenheim's recent match against Eintracht Frankfurt shortly after scoring the opening goal, will be absent due to suspension for another game.
In midfield, Dennis Geiger and Grischa Promel are likely to return, and Ozan Kabak is available after serving a suspension. However, Mergim Berisha and Marco John are sidelined with serious knee injuries.
