Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. (Photo : Getty Images)
Middling team Bayer Leverkusen (5-4-1, 16 points) is set to face surprise squad RB Leipzig (7-0-3, 24 points) in a 2016-2017 Bundesliga season match at their home field of BayArena on Friday, Nov. 18.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 2:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Bayer Leverkusen is on a two-game winning run after losing two straight games. The team is currently settled at the eighth spot of the German top flight table, only two points below the fifth to seventh-place teams of Borussia Dortmund, Cologne, and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bayer nipped lowly squad SV Darmstadt 98, 3-2, in their meeting on Nov. 5 also at their home stadium to win their second straight game, as per ESPN.
Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring for head coach Roger Schmidt's squad in the 32nd minute of the contest with a right-footer from outside the box off an assist by Julian Brandt.
The score was leveled by Darmstadt in the 47th with a goal from Croatian forward Antonio Colak before Leverkusen regained the lead nine minutes later with a header from Brandt from the center of the box.
Chilean midfielder Charles Aranguiz made it a 3-1 count in the 69th while Darmstadt midfielder Mario Vrancic trimmed the gap back to one point with five minutes left before full-time.
Both teams went scoreless after that as the home squad escaped with the high-scoring victory.
Meanwhile, newly-promoted side RB Leipzig continued to stun the competitions as they thrashed Mainz, 3-1, at the Red Bull Arena on Nov. 6, Daily Mail Online reported.
German striker Timo Werner scored a brace in the third and 44th minutes, sandwiching Swede striker Emil Forsberg goal in the 21st to complete the Bulls' three-goal haul in the first half.
Mainz managed to score a consolation goal in the 74th minute with a close-range header from Stefan Bell, but it was all the visitors could do to trim the lead of head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl's side.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 2-1 upset win by Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Leno; Henrichs, Tah, Toprak, Wendell; Havertz, Baumgartlinger, Calhanoglu, Brandt; Hernandez, Mehmedi
RB Leipzig starting lineup (4-2-2-2 formation): Gulacsi; Ilsanker, Orban, Compper, Halstenberg; Keita, Demme; Sabitzer, Forsberg; Poulsen, Werner
