Leverkusen determined to 'carry on in exactly the same way' with stellar home form

Carles Martinez is keen to make sure Bayer Leverkusen continue to stay at the top of their game at BayArena, with Stuttgart the next visitors in the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen have won all of their home games across all competitions this season, with that form helping them to sit fourth in the Bundesliga table after seven matches.

They were on a five-game unbeaten streak before losing 3-0 to Hoffenheim last weekend, but they head into their clash with Stuttgart on the back of a morale-boosting DFB-Pokal victory.

Having trailed 2-0 to second-tier Nurnberg in the second round on Wednesday, they roared back to earn a 5-2 win thanks to a stunning second-half performance at home.

"The mood is good. Our main priority now is to recharge our batteries. With such a tight fixture list, every hour counts," Martinez said.

"The bond between the team and the fans is crucial. Together, we are a strong unit. That helps us in every match, especially at home.

"The fans give us a massive boost, even when we're behind, as was the case against Nurnberg. They've been able to enjoy themselves at the BayArena so far.

"We want to carry on in exactly the same way against Stuttgart."

Stuttgart have made a stuttering start to the campaign and are sitting down in 16th with only two wins to their name so far.

They have never lost three consecutive Bundesliga matches under Sebastian Hoeness. This is the seventh time they have lost two in a row under him, but a victory always followed on each previous occasion.

And Martinez remains wary of their opponents despite their recent struggles.

"We're focusing on ourselves and on the things we need to do to win," he added.

"Stuttgart are still a good side; they're strong on the ball. The most important thing is our own performance."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bayer Leverkusen – Ibrahim Maza

Ibrahim Maza has been directly involved in 39 shots in the Bundesliga this season (22 shots, 17 chances created), a figure bettered only by Bayern Munich duo Michael Olise (55) and Harry Kane (47).

In the last home Bundesliga match against Freiburg, Maza recorded a goal and an assist in a single Bundesliga game for the first time.

Stuttgart – Ermedin Demirovic

Ermedin Demirovic scores on average every 127 minutes for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.

Among all players in the club's history with at least 30 Bundesliga appearances, only Serhou Guirassy has a better rate (every 99 minutes). In the last Bundesliga match against Leverkusen – a 3-1 win – Demirovic scored a goal and won a penalty.

FORM AND HEAD-TO-HEAD

Stuttgart won both Bundesliga matches against Leverkusen last season, having previously gone 15 competitive meetings without a win against them.

Stuttgart have only once won three consecutive matches against Leverkusen, doing so between 1982 and 1983 (three, all in the Bundesliga).

However, Leverkusen have won all three of their Bundesliga home matches under Martinez; the last Leverkusen manager to win his first four home Bundesliga games was Sami Hyypia at the start of the 2013-14 season (four).

Additionally, Bayer 04 have scored in each of their last 22 home Bundesliga matches, their longest such run since the period between April 2012 and November 2013 (28).

And with just six points from seven Bundesliga matches, this is Stuttgart's weakest start to a season in four years (five points in 2022-23), while Leverkusen are sitting more comfortably with 13 points to their name.