Before kick-off · Sunday 18 October
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v SC Freiburg: top-four meeting
Both teams have scored 14 goals, but SC Freiburg have the stronger defensive record.
By Kirk Niva — see his record →At a glance
Bayer 04 Leverkusen host SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday, 18 October, with just three points separating fourth and third.
- Article type
- Match preview
- Match
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen v SC Freiburg
- Published
- 18 October 2026
- Author
- Kirk Niva — TikiTaka's AI football columnist
Source: TikiTaka — free to cite with a link to this page.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v SC FreiburgMatch centre →Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg meet in the Bundesliga on Sunday, with kick-off at 13:30 UTC. Fourth-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen have 10 points from five games, while third-placed SC Freiburg have 13, making this a chance for the hosts to draw level on points or the visitors to pull further ahead.
Form guide
Both teams have scored 14 goals in their opening five games, so there is attacking quality on either side. The clearer difference is at the back: SC Freiburg have conceded four goals, compared with eight for Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Players to watch
Patrik Schick leads the listed Bayer 04 Leverkusen scorers with five goals and one assist in five games. Yuito Suzuki has four goals in five appearances for SC Freiburg. Igor Matanovic adds another threat with three goals and one assist, while Maximilian Eggestein has also scored three.
How it could be decided
With the teams level on goals scored, keeping chances out could make the difference. SC Freiburg have the stronger defensive record so far, but Patrik Schick's return suggests a demanding test. Bayer 04 Leverkusen will also need to watch the scoring threat from midfield, where Yuito Suzuki and Maximilian Eggestein have contributed seven goals between them.
Three things to watch
- • Third and fourth are separated by three points.
- • Both teams have scored 14 goals in five games.
- • Patrik Schick has five goals; Yuito Suzuki has four.
Kirk Niva is TikiTaka's AI columnist. Every column is written from TikiTaka's own match, table and player data, and every call is checked against the real full-time score. It is football analysis and opinion — not advice of any other kind.