Leverkusen vs Freiburg Prediction for 26 October 2025 - Football

🔊 Whose unbeaten streak will last longer? In the 8th round of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen face Freiburg at the BayArena. The hosts remain undefeated in the league under Kasper Hjulmand, though they suffered a heavy defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday. Freiburg, led by Julian Schuster, are on an 8-match unbeaten run and are performing confidently in the Europa League. Last year in Leverkusen, the visitors fell 1-5. What will happen this time? Let's delve into the prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 As previously mentioned, last season at the BayArena saw a thrashing by the hosts, who triumphed 5-1. Florian Wirtz, who departed Bayer this summer, found the net, while Patrik Schick delivered a four-goal haul. For the visitors, Vincenzo Grifo scored. In the overall head-to-head history, Leverkusen hold the upper hand with 20 victories compared to Freiburg's 7. There have also been 9 draws, one of which occurred in the return match last season at Europa-Park. On that occasion, Maximilian Eggestein scored for the hosts, aided by an own goal from Piero Hincapié. However, they couldn't hold on for the win: Florian Wirtz reduced the deficit eight minutes from full time, and Jonathan Tah equalized in the 93rd minute. Interestingly, all three of these players are no longer with Bayer.

Bayer Leverkusen Team Overview

🔴 Bayer Leverkusen's last two matches have been high-scoring thrillers. Let's start with their Round 7 clash, where Bayer edged out Mainz away (4-3). By the middle of the first half, the "Pharmacists" were up 2-0 thanks to goals from Alex Grimaldo (from a penalty) and Christian Kouame. Although the visitors conceded, they netted a third before halftime—Grimaldo completing his brace. In the second half, Mainz reduced the deficit again with a penalty, but Marten Terrier, making his season debut after a long recovery from an Achilles injury, calmed the situation in the 79th minute. The Frenchman scored a crucial goal for himself and the team in the 87th minute, seemingly sealing the victory. However, Mainz managed to pull one back but fell short of an equalizer. This victory marked Bayer's fourth of the season. Currently, they sit in 5th place with 14 points. A win against Freiburg would give the "Pharmacists" a strong chance to break into the top three by the end of the round.

🏆 On Tuesday, Bayer hosted the reigning Champions League holders, PSG (2-7), in the third round of the group stage at the BayArena. The team entered this match on an eight-game unbeaten streak but hadn't faced an opponent of this caliber this season. All key moments unfolded in the first half: the visitors opened the scoring in the 7th minute. Midway through the half, Alex Grimaldo missed a penalty, and five minutes later, captain Robert Andrich received a red card. In the 37th minute, the referee evened things out by sending off a PSG player. Bayer converted a penalty on their second attempt—Aleix Garcia finding the back of the net. However, between the 41st minute and stoppage time, Leverkusen conceded three more goals. In the second half, PSG quickly scored their fifth goal, signaling there was no chance for a comeback. Garcia added another stunning long-range strike, but PSG completed a rout with a final score of 7-2. This defeat was Bayer's first of the season, and they have yet to secure a win in the Champions League, having previously drawn twice. Currently, Bayer are in 30th place in the group stage standings.

Freiburg Team Overview

⚫ In the last round, the "Brazilians of Breisgau" played to a 2-2 draw at home against Eintracht. The hosts took the lead in just the 2nd minute, capitalizing on a mistake by their opponents in their own half: Johan Manzambi intercepted the ball in midfield and set up Derry Scherhant for a one-on-one. However, by halftime, Freiburg were trailing. In the second half, Christian Streich's side struggled to break down Frankfurt's defense, but Vincenzo Grifo stepped up in the 87th minute, scoring one of his trademark free-kicks. The Italian struck from a challenging position with precision, thanks to his football intelligence and skill, securing a draw for the team. This marked their third consecutive draw in the league following two wins. Freiburg currently sit 10th with 9 points, and a win on the road could bring them closer to their upcoming opponent.

🏆 On Thursday, Freiburg played again at the "Europa-Park" in the third round of the Europa League group stage, hosting Dutch side Utrecht (2-0). The visitors posed little threat as the hosts secured victory by halftime, with goals from Yuito Suzuki and another free-kick by Vincenzo Grifo. Freiburg have won their last six home matches in the Europa League—a record for German clubs in the tournament's history. After three rounds, they are in 6th place overall with 7 points.

Latest news

Bayer Leverkusen

🎙 Kasper Hjulmand's words after the match against PSG: "Huge respect to the fans who supported the team. We hope to pay them back on Sunday. Now, we shift our focus to the Bundesliga, and then continue in the Champions League with a trip to Lisbon awaiting us. We'll be ready. Clearly, there's pressure surrounding the team right now, but we're gearing up for a win in the next match. As professionals, this is very painful for us – for the team, for me, and for everyone involved. A 2-7 scoreline sounds bad. We failed at the start of the match but then got into the fight. The game was even until the 38th minute, but in the next seven minutes, we opened up too much."

🚑 Patrik Schick and Jarell Quansah are training with the main group, but their participation in the game is uncertain. Lucas Vázquez, Axel Tuanzebe, Nathan Tella, Malik Tillman, and Exequiel Palacios will miss the match.

Freiburg

🎙 Julian Schuster's words after the match against Eintracht: "We were rewarded for our patience and discipline. We had a great chance to win at the end, but a draw is a fair result. It was a solid team performance."

🎤 Schuster's comments after the Europa League victory: "We prepared thoroughly for Utrecht, and the guys approached it with great focus. We created several chances and scored a fantastic first goal. Securing the second was crucial."

❌ Backup goalkeeper Florian Müller (muscle injury) and midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (not fit) will miss the match.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by Harm Osmers. On average, he hands out 4.7 yellow cards over his last 10 matches. Bayer, alongside Augsburg, are among the league's most aggressive teams, averaging 3.3 yellow cards per game. In contrast, Freiburg are one of the most disciplined sides, averaging just 1.7 cautions, ranking 16th in this category. Our pick: Freiburg's individual total under 2.5 yellow cards, which has hit in 23 of their last 24 matches and in 6 head-to-head encounters with Bayer.

⚽ Goal Prediction

Prediction: both teams to score (yes). This outcome has occurred in 9 of Leverkusen's last 10 matches and in 7 of Freiburg's last 10 games, as well as in 10 consecutive head-to-head clashes between the teams.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Both clubs rank low in corner statistics: Bayer are 15th, Freiburg 16th, averaging around 4 corners per match. Our choice: total under 10.5 corners, which has come through in 10 of the last 11 matches for the "Brazilians of Breisgau".

Despite Bayer Leverkusen having odds more than double in their favor, we don't believe Freiburg are currently inferior in terms of quality. Leverkusen are dealing with significant squad issues, making it hard to be confident in their victory—unless you're a die-hard fan of the club. Freiburg haven't won in their last three league matches, but they are certainly capable of securing a draw at the BayArena—say, a 2-2 scoreline. Our prediction: over 2.5 goals, which has occurred in 9 of the last 10 head-to-head encounters between these teams.