Bundesliga Matchday 7 brings TSG 1899 Hoffenheim up against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 25 October 2026 at the PreZero Arena, with Hoffenheim sitting 13th on six points from six games and a goal difference of minus three whereas Leverkusen are fourth on 13 points with plus seven. The gap between these two clubs is not subtle.
Christian Ilzer and Carles Martínez Novell have no senior level head to head history between them, Ilzer having arrived at Hoffenheim on 15 November 2024 to replace Pellegrino Matarazzo and Martínez Novell only taking the Leverkusen job on 1 July 2026 after Kasper Hjulmand.
Hoffenheim's last five league outings produced two wins and three defeats, though the 3-0 Europa League win over Lyon on 22 October 2026 and the 2-1 league victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach four days earlier at least show some attacking life. Leverkusen, meanwhile, have simply been winning, most recently 2-1 away at SC Freiburg on 18 October 2026. Patrik Schick has scored in all six of Leverkusen's league games this season and that number probably tells you more about the distance between these two sides than any tactical breakdown could.
Hoffenheim are without three players who matter: Albian Hajdari (foot), Nathan De Cat (knee/meniscus) and Patrick Wimmer (thigh/hamstring). Losing Hajdari in central defence and Wimmer in midfield is a double blow for a side facing Schick and García. Leverkusen's injury list is longer but less damaging given their depth, with Guéla Doué (calf), Eliesse Ben Seghir (hamstring), Martin Terrier (muscle), Christian Kofane (thigh) and Kennet Eichhorn (illness) all out and Montrell Culbreath also a doubt through a foot problem.
Hoffenheim press high in a 4-2-3-1, which leaves space in behind for teams with the quality to find it and Leverkusen are well practised at doing exactly that. Without Hajdari alongside him in central defence, the backline looks underpowered. Fisnik Asllani, Tim Lemperle and Adam Daghim carry the attacking responsibility upfront but Hoffenheim's double pivot needs to simultaneously cut off Aleix García's forward passing and track Moussa Diaby out wide, which is difficult enough with a full squad and harder still without Wimmer and De Cat screening behind them.
Leverkusen operate a similar 4-2-3-1 but with considerably more control, García dictating from deep and Schick leading the line having already scored six in six this season, while Jarell Quansah is expected at right back. If Hoffenheim's depleted midfield cannot close García down quickly, he will find Schick and Diaby in space repeatedly.
Leverkusen have the better of this fixture historically, though Hoffenheim won the last two Bundesliga meetings between the sides, 1-0 in January 2026 and 2-1 in August 2025. Those results are interesting without being especially relevant given what has changed in both squads since.
Hoffenheim need points badly enough that they will probably press rather than sit deep, which is understandable but likely to open up exactly the space Leverkusen thrive in. A 0-2 win for Leverkusen looks the most likely outcome: Schick's form means goals are almost certainly coming and Hoffenheim's structural weakness without Hajdari, De Cat and Wimmer makes it hard to identify where a home goal arrives from, which is why Leverkusen keeping a clean sheet looks plausible rather than optimistic.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
