The German Bundesliga kicks off its second week of action following the winter break, and Bayer Leverkusen wants to keep up the good work when they face Hannover 96. Even though Die Werkself were not able to win their previous match, they should be considered favorites against a team that has lost five of their previous six games.
Leverkusen gets to this match one point behind Borussia Moenchengladbach in the race for the fourth place, while Hannover need to step things up if they want to avoid relegation. The visitors have managed to win only four games this season, and if they're unable to add points to their tally, it seems rather unlikely to see them in the German top flight next year.
Bayer Leverkusen
The Aspirins have worked superbly when it comes to home games, winning 26 out of their last 29 Bundesliga matches. With Lars Bender as the only regular starter unavailable for Sunday's clash, Roger Schmidt will have a full squad to choose from. Ever since Schmidt decided to start Mexican striker Javier Hernández and Stefan Kiessling together, the team has thrived on offense with both men scoring quite a few goals. With the help of Admir Mehmedi, Julian Brandt and Karim Bellarabi, the hosts will surely enjoy quite a few chances against the fourth team with the most goals allowed in the German tournament.
Hannover 96
Thomas Schaaf's side needs to find their drive once more in order to save themselves from relegation, but it won't be easy with so many unavailable players. With Salif Sané and Christian Schulz suspended and four more players injured, it seems like all of Hannover's hopes will rely on what Artur Sobiech and goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler can do to help out, considering the talented Hiroshi Kiyotake will have to sit this one out due to injury. The Japanese midfielder has been involved in seven of the team's 19 goals this season, so his contribution will be sorely missed.
Head to head
Bayer and Hannover have played 33 times against each other, with Die Werkself having a commanding lead against the visitors. Leverkusenn has won five out of the last six games facing Hannover, and when it comes to games played at BayArena, the hosts have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight outings against Die Roten in all competitions.
Where to watch Bayer Leverkusen vs Hannover 96 on TV or online?
Fans in Germany will be able to witness this game via TeleClub Sport Live, Sky Bundesliga 5/HD, Sky Bundesliga 1/HD, Sport1.FM and Sky Go Deutschland at 15:30 CET. For those who want to follow this game in the United States, Fox Soccer 2GO USA will broadcast this game starting at 09:30 EST. Football fans in Canada can watch this game's outcome on Sportsnet World Now at 09:30 EST. Finally, Chicharito's fans in Mexico will be able to follow this game on ESPN Mexico at 08:30 CST.
Live elsewhere? Check out our Bayer Leverkusen vs Hannover 96 match page for broadcasting info in your country.
*Please note that all live games, TV & online schedules are subject to change.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
This match was not broadcast in United States
International Coverage:
Austria: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 5
Canada: Sportsnet World Now
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 5
Switzerland:
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