Patrik Schick has three Bundesliga goals in three appearances, and Bayer Leverkusen need that early edge to hold up against RB Leipzig on Sunday. Leverkusen are seventh with four points after three Bundesliga games, while Leipzig are fifth with six points after three. It is a game that already looks tight on form, even before the line-ups are named.

Schick's early scoring run

Schick has been Leverkusen's cleanest attacking reference so far. Three goals in three league appearances is the standout number here, especially after a start that included a 3-2 defeat to Elversberg and a 2-2 draw at Augsburg before the 4-0 win over Union Berlin on 5 September.

That run has been enough to keep Leverkusen moving, but not enough to mask how uneven the start has been. They are unbeaten in their last three, and they followed the Union win with a 2-0 Europa League victory over NK Celje, yet the league table still leaves room for improvement.

Leipzig's response after the heavy defeats

Leipzig's own start has had a bit more swing to it. They lost 3-1 at Werder Bremen and 4-1 to Como, then answered with a 5-0 win over Hamburger SV. Sports Mole also reported Jarell Quansah, Miguel Gutiérrez, Nathan Tella, Guéla Doué, Kennet Eichhorn, Mark Flekken and Montrell Culbreath as injury or illness absences for Leverkusen.

The coaching names also differ across the preview pieces. Sports Mole names Carles Martinez Novell for Leverkusen and Martin Demichelis for Leipzig, while another preview source does not name either coach. That matters less than the pattern on the pitch, where Leipzig have already shown they can put a bad week behind them quickly.

The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-2 draw, and that feels close to the shape of the matchup. Leverkusen have Schick in form, but Leipzig arrive with a bigger points return and the more convincing bounce-back result.

Sunday's meeting at the BayArena should be a good early test of whether Leverkusen's front edge can outweigh the inconsistency around it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →