Bayer Leverkusen v Stuttgart: Preview, predicted line-ups and team news

Stuttgart arrive at the BayArena on Saturday with a bruised squad and a nasty run. They lost 3-2 at home to Borussia Monchengladbach last week, a side that had not won all season until then.

That result came a week after a 1-0 defeat at Hamburg. Stuttgart are 15th on six points, level with Schalke and Union Berlin below them.

Leverkusen have their own wobble to fix. They were beaten 3-0 at Hoffenheim last Sunday, their heaviest defeat of the campaign. They have been dominant at home, though, and the visitors have won only twice in seven matches.

Leverkusen sit fourth on 13 points from seven games, with four wins, one draw and two defeats. At the BayArena they have won three from three, scoring 8 and conceding once. That is an average of 2.7 goals scored and 0.3 conceded per home game.

Away from home the picture changes. They have conceded 11 goals in four road games, an average of 2.8, and have not kept a clean sheet outside Leverkusen. Their recent-form data shows 57.9% average possession, 18.1 shots per game and an expected goals figure of 2.03 for and 1.65 against.

Before the Hoffenheim defeat they had beaten Freiburg 2-1, Mainz 4-3 and RB Leipzig 2-0.

Stuttgart have scored 10 and conceded 13 in seven league games. They average 1.4 goals scored and 1.9 conceded. Over their recent seven games the expected goals against figure is 2.45, which suggests the defence has not been unlucky.

Away from home they have won once in four. They have scored just four goals in those games and conceded eight. Their only wins this term are a 4-1 against Koln and a 2-0 at Paderborn.

The visitors have been on the end of late goals, too. 33.3% of their goals conceded have come between the 76th and 90th minutes. With the bottom three only three points below, a heavy defeat here would turn a poor start into a relegation worry.

Leverkusen have won four, drawn one and lost two of their last seven. Stuttgart have won two and lost five. Leverkusen's two defeats came away at Elversberg (3-2) and Hoffenheim (3-0), so the BayArena is a different test for them. Stuttgart have lost four of their last five, with the Paderborn win the only exception. Neither side's last result flatters them, but Leverkusen's wins have come with goals, while Stuttgart have scored in only five of their seven. The surface form favours the hosts, and the home and away splits widen the gap.

Leverkusen are fourth on 13 points from seven games, level with third-placed Freiburg and a point clear of Leipzig in fifth. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund lead on 17, so a win would close that gap to one game's worth of points, depending on their results.

Stuttgart are 15th on six points from seven, with a goal difference of minus three. They are level on points with Schalke in 16th and Union Berlin in 17th, who sit in the relegation places on goal difference. Gladbach are bottom on three. A win lifts Leverkusen into the title chase, while a defeat leaves Stuttgart with a real fight on their hands.

There have been 10 meetings in the supplied data. Leverkusen have won three, Stuttgart two and five were drawn. Games average 3.5 goals, 80% saw both teams score and 60% went over 2.5 goals. The last meeting was a 3-1 Stuttgart win at the MHPArena on 9 May 2026.

That recent record sits awkwardly with the current tables. Stuttgart won 4-1 at the BayArena in January, leading 4-0 at half-time, but they were a different side then. Both-teams-to-score is the stronger pull from the history, and the goals line is more modest than the 3.5 average suggests. Stuttgart's poor scoring away from home and Leverkusen's home record make a 2-1 or 3-1 the most natural shape for this game.

The biggest gap is at the back. Leverkusen have conceded 0.3 per home game, against 1.9 per game overall for Stuttgart. Stuttgart's expected goals against over their last seven is 2.45, compared with 1.65 for Leverkusen.

The second gap is in the final third. Leverkusen average 2.29 goals per game in their last seven, with 5.4 shots on target, against 1.43 goals for Stuttgart. Stuttgart actually create a similar number of shots on target (5.7), so finishing is a concern for them. Corners also lean the hosts' way: Leverkusen win 6.7 per game, while Stuttgart concede 5.9.

Leverkusen should line up in a 4-2-3-1 with six players unavailable, so the options are limited in midfield and attack. Stuttgart have used a 3-4-2-1 in five of their seven league games and are likely to stick with it, with several doubts in defence and midfield.

**Bayer Leverkusen: Tapsoba, Quansah, Hofmann, Tella; Schick

VfB Stuttgart: Seimen; Chabot, Jeltsch, Hendriks; Assignon, Karazor, Nartey

The game kicks off at 14:30 GMT on Saturday 31 October at the BayArena. A UK broadcaster has not been confirmed for this fixture, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off. Sky Sports shows one Saturday 17:30 Bundesliga game a week, and the rest of the Saturday slate is not on live UK TV.

The value sits in the goals markets and the home win. Leverkusen have scored in six of their last seven, Stuttgart have conceded in six of seven, and the BTTS price at 3/10 reflects it. The bet builder uses Leverkusen to win with both teams scoring and Afonso Moreira to find the net, and all three legs depend on the same game script.