FC Bayern travel to face Bayer Leverkusen in Saturday's top clash at 18.30 CET, and the overall record is clearly in favour of the Bavarians: the German record champions have won 43 times in 73 Bundesliga encounters. Leverkusen only left the pitch as winners 16 times, with 14 games ending in a draw. For Bayer 139 goals conceded are the most against any single Bundesliga team, as are the 43 defeats to the Reds. The recent figures also suggest a good chance of success for the Bavarians: FCB have won 13 of the last 20 encounters, losing three and drawing four.
BayArena blues
However, the numbers tell a different story when it comes to recent matches away to Leverkusen: the men from Munich only won one of the last eight matches in the Rhineland, losing three and drawing four. FCB only scored three goals in the last five editions of the fixture. The overall record at the BayArena is relatively balanced: 15 wins, 13 defeats and eight draws from a Bayern point of view, with 54 goals scored and 56 conceded.
Top-notch meeting on Saturday evening
FCB have won six of the last seven Saturday evening top matches. The last defeat dates back to May 2015 - a 2-0 reverse in Leverkusen of all places. Bayer 04 too boast a strong record on Saturday evenings: they have gone without defeat in the last five fixtures, winning three and drawing twice. Most recently Bayer turned in an impressive display, thrashing Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-0.
Goal-hungry Bayer
The side lying fourth in the table are dangerous in front of goal: Bayer have scored at least one goal in each of their last 16 competitive fixtures. But the men from the Rhineland were likely to hit the woodwork too: Leverkusen v FCB is the meeting between the teams with the most shots off the goal frame in the current campaign. The post or bar prevented 17 goals by Leverkusen and 14 by Munich.
Top referee for Bundesliga cracker
Knut Kircher is the man with the whistle when Bayer Leverkusen and FC Bayern cross swords on Saturday evening. It is the third time that the 47-year-old from Rottenburg takes charge of a Bayern match this season. He oversaw the 2-1 victory over Augsburg and the 3-1 cup win over Wolfsburg. Kircher's assistants will be Robert Kempter and Thorsten Schiffner, with Daniel Siebert acting as fourth official.
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