While Carles Martinez believes Bayer Leverkusen should have more points on the board in the Bundesliga, he says his team are all “pulling in the same direction” ahead of facing RB Leipzig.
After losing their opening league match against Elversberg, Leverkusen have since beaten Union Berlin and drawn 2-2 with Augsburg, coming back late on to salvage the draw.
Leverkusen do go into Sunday’s game on the back of a victory, though, having got off the mark in the Europa League with a 2-0 success over Celje in midweek.
And Martinez is determined to go into the extended international break on the back of another positive result.
“We’re going into the match full of confidence following our midweek win,” Martinez said.
“We deserved more points in the league, but that’s football. We’re continuing to work hard together as a team to improve. We’re all pulling in the same direction to achieve that.
“I can already see many things that please me and give me the confidence that we will be successful.
“It’s a process, and within that process it’s important to not only see things in black and white. The most important thing is that we establish continuity.”
Step by step #B04RBL pic.twitter.com/aCpG2xBW0z
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) September 18, 2026
Leipzig, meanwhile, are one point better off than Leverkusen, having recorded big wins over Borussia Monchengladbach and Hamburg, either side of a loss to Werder Bremen.
They also lost 4-1 to Como in the Champions League before their 5-0 thrashing of Hamburg, and Martinez is anticipating a tough match.
“Leipzig are a very good team with talented players,” Martinez said of their opponents. “We’ll give it our all.
“It’s a home match with a great atmosphere. We hope we can celebrate together at the end.
“We need to show passion and energy every minute of the match.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick
Schick has scored on each of the first three matchdays of a Bundesliga season for the first time – the last player to achieve this for the club was Stefan Kiessling in 2009-10.
Kiessling scored in each of the first five matches that season – a club record he shares with Dimitar Berbatov from 2005-06.
RB Leipzig – Antonio Nusa
Nusa is one of five players with four goal involvements in the Bundesliga so far this season (two goals, two assists).
In the 5-0 win against Hamburg, Nusa scored and recorded two assists, getting three goal involvements in a single top-flight match for the first time.
We’ve had plenty of memorable moments in Leverkusen pic.twitter.com/SxOYNr36y7
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) September 17, 2026
MATCH PREDICTION: BAYER LEVERKUSEN WIN
Leverkusen have scored at least two goals in each of their last seven Bundesliga matches against Leipzig, losing only one of those seven encounters (W5 D1 L1) – a 3-2 home defeat in August 2024.
They could now go four consecutive Bundesliga matches without defeat against Leipzig for the first time.
Leverkusen have won only one of their last five league matches (a 4-0 win against Union Berlin in their last home game, D2 L2) and have made an identical start to the Bundesliga season as last year, with four points from their opening three matches.
Leipzig have collected six points from their first three Bundesliga matches this season (W2 L1), exactly as they did one year ago.
However, the Saxons scored only three goals in their first three matches in 2025-26, compared to nine this term – only Freiburg scored more over the first three matchdays (10), and Leipzig have only scored more in their opening three Bundesliga matches once before, in 2023-24 (10 goals).
But Leipzig have lost their last three away matches in the Bundesliga. The only longer away losing streak in the club’s history was between April and August 2021 (five games).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Bayer Leverkusen – 46.3%
Draw – 23.3%
RB Leipzig – 30.4%
