Surprise leaders Freiburg face toughest test yet at Bayer Leverkusen
Sitting atop the Bundesliga table for already the second time this campaign, Julian Schuster’s Freiburg have enjoyed a record-breaking start to the 2026/27 season. However, standing in their way on Matchday 6 is a free-scoring Bayer Leverkusen side that has been steadily improving game by game under Carles Martínez.
Billed as a meeting between a team firmly established among Germany’s elite and a new‑look contender still discovering how high its ceiling really is, the prevailing question is whether Freiburg’s superb early‑season form can withstand one of the toughest tests in German football: a trip to the BayArena.
Arriving in Leverkusen as league leaders may lead many to label Freiburg as nominal favourites on paper, but it’s important to recognise that this comes with its own caveats. Their dramatic 2–1 home victory over Schalke on Matchday 5 — in which Keisuke Gotō netted a late winner after Yuito Suzuki was sent off for the hosts — may have seen the Breisgauers rise to the Bundesliga summit, but this is a feat Freiburg have only managed four times before in their history.
Watch: Highlights from Freiburg's win over Schalke
Additionally, the Black Forest club have never successfully defended top spot, so while their 13 points from five matchdays represent a club record, Schuster’s men are now entering a profoundly more challenging phase of the campaign. After a relatively gentle opening schedule, Matchday 6 marks Freiburg’s first encounter with an opponent also participating in European competition this term.
Incidentally, European tests are a running theme for Schuster’s charges in the coming weeks. Prior to their BayArena visit, Freiburg must first raise the curtain on their UEFA Conference League campaign at home to Czech outfit Jablonec. A trip to Monaco is then due to follow, before the Breisgauers host reigning champions Bayern Munich on Matchday 7. If Freiburg want to prove they truly belong among the Bundesliga’s elite, this is the moment.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, have quietly been building momentum in recent weeks. Though their strong start to the campaign has perhaps been somewhat overshadowed by their opening‑day 3–2 defeat in Elversberg, no other team has collected more points than the Werkself’s 10 from a possible 12 since then.
Sitting in fourth place, the hosts know victory over the league leaders would help them climb higher and continue their sharp upward trajectory. Although Martínez’s men likewise have continental commitments to juggle with Thursday’s trip to Lech Poznań in the UEFA Europa League, they will undoubtedly draw confidence from the backdrop of the BayArena.
After all, Leverkusen have not conceded a single league goal at home yet this term, beating Union Berlin 4-0 and RB Leipzig 2-0 in their only two home fixtures so far.
Freiburg are certainly no slouches defensively either, boasting the joint‑best record league‑wide alongside Borussia Dortmund and Bayern, with just four goals conceded. If you believe this points towards a stalemate between these sides, however, think again. In front of goal, both teams have been prolific, with Freiburg and Leverkusen each sitting joint‑third for goals scored (14).
Indeed, Leverkusen have found the net in 17 consecutive Bundesliga matches - the longest active run in the league. At the heart of their firepower is Patrik Schick, the Bundesliga’s leading scorer with five goals. The Czech forward has scored in each of the opening five matchdays, becoming only the third Leverkusen player to do so in the first five rounds of a season after Dimitar Berbatov in 2005/06 and Stefan Kießling in 2009/10.
Watch: Mainz 3-4 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights
Nevertheless, Freiburg have a talisman of their own in Igor Matanović, whose physicality, movement and pressing — on top of four goal involvements (three goals, one assist) — have added a new dimension to their attack. There will be increased pressure on the Croatian to provide goals in Leverkusen, however, given that top scorer Suzuki (four) will be unavailable after his dismissal against Schalke.
The historical record between these sides also offers an additional source of intrigue, as well as pressure on the visitors. For all of Freiburg’s burgeoning ambition, the Black Forest club are winless in seven against Leverkusen, last tasting victory at the BayArena four years ago in a 3-2 triumph in September 2022 under then coach Christian Streich – a win that briefly sent them top of the table. As such, a repeat would reinforce their status as genuine top-four contenders and prove that first place is more than a fleeting moment.
With two teams scoring for fun, defending solidly, and now navigating increasingly demanding European schedules – all set against the backdrop of fourth against first – expect a compelling examination of ambition, footballing identity and early‑season momentum.
