The 2025-26 German Bundesliga season comes to a close with an exciting fixture at the BayArena as hosts Bayer Leverkusen face-off against Hamburg, hoping to book their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Ayomide Oguntimehin looks ahead to the May 16 encounter.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hamburg match preview
Bayer Leverkusen head into their final league game of the season hoping for a win to book a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Die Werkself began the season poorly and sacked manager Erik Ten Hag, with Kasper Hjulmand coming in as his replacement and the Dane has overseen a remarkable improvement from their slow start.
However, their task is not straightforward as they need to win and hope both Stuttgart and Hoffenheim above them also lose their games to sneak into the top four. The former Bundesliga champions have won 17 games in the league this season, lost nine times and recorded seven draws in their 33 games so far.
Bitterer Nachmittag für uns.#VfBB04 3:1 #Bayer04 #Werkself #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/lRkp8XeoLW
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) May 9, 2026
Hamburg, meanwhile, sealed promotion to the Bundesliga after a seven-year absence at the start of the season and will now stay in the top-flight for another campaign. They are currently 11th in the standings with 37 points, although defeat in their final league game of the season could see them finish even further down in the standings. They have managed just nine wins this season, lost 14 times and recorded 10 draws.
Best betting odds
Home (Bayer Leverkusen) to Win – 1.29 (via 1xBet)
Mit dem letzten Heimsieg im Rücken starten wir in die letzte Woche! 😍❤️🔥#nurderHSV pic.twitter.com/7F2ONU2Uyw
— Hamburger SV (@HSV) May 11, 2026
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen have a better record in this fixture in recent times, and they have enough quality, especially in attack to hurt Hamburg and seal an impressive win in this fixture.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hamburg Head-to-Head
(Last five meetings)
- 04.03.2026 – Hamburg 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
- 17.02.2018 – Hamburg 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
- 24.09.2017 – Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Hamburg
- 03.02.2017 – Hamburg 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
- 10.09.2016 – Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Hamburg
Bayer Leverkusen have dominated this fixture in recent meetings and have won four of their last five matches, including a 3-0 rout earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Hamburg have managed just a single win during this period.
Recent form: Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have won three of their last five league matches, although they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart in their previous outing, which had dashed their hopes of sealing a top four spot.
The former Bundesliga winners are also without a clean sheet in their last four matches and have only won two of their last five matches at the BayArena, losing once and recording two draws.
Recent form: Hamburg
Hamburg found form at the right time and are currently on a two-game winning run, after previously losing four of their last five in the league.
Die Rothosen are without a clean sheet in any of their last 13 matches in the league and they have only won one of their last four matches away from home, in a 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in their last away game.
Player to watch
Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen)
Super Eagles winger Nathan Tella has recovered from injury and has been in good form for Bayer Leverkusen in recent outings.
Tella’s pace and direct dribbling would surely cause problems for Hamburg defence and his linkup play with Patrik Schick could be very vital in this encounter.
