The current league leaders are yet to taste defeat in 23 games in all competitions this season, but now face a look that wiped out the giants of German football last weekend.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen show no signs of slowing down as they still hold strong in the most sensible, aggregate win and have plenty of goals in their impressive midweek stats.
Molde’s visit to Germany was a nightmare from the start, as Leverkusen scored five goals against the embattled Norwegian side to extend their unbeaten run to 23 games, scoring 74 goals in the process.
That happened despite Alonso making a number of changes, and none of his big hitters started on Thursday as they finished a Europa League-best organisational campaign with six wins out of six and 19 goals scored.
Bayer have drawn only their last two Bundesliga games, drawing against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart in thrilling encounters, but are still four points behind Bayern Munich after being beaten in their next meetings last Saturday.
A total of 36 goals in their first 14 league games is a club record, but when they set that figure in 2001-02 they managed to finish second.
That first Bundesliga name still eludes Leverkusen, and they hope Alonso can win it this season before inevitably departing for a bigger challenge next summer.
Leverkusen’s next project is to face Dino Toppmoller’s Frankfurt, who have been on a run of results lately.
Their 2-0 defeat at Pittodrie against Aberdeen on Thursday was their fifth in six games, with the sole exception of the remarkable win against Bayern last week.
Eintracht came into the game on the back of a four-game losing streak, but on Thursday they were back on the ground with that defeat in Scotland.
It is the second time in a row in midweek that Frankfurt have suffered a shock defeat as they become heavy favourites, having also been beaten by third-tier Saarbrücken in last week’s DFB-Pokal.
Despite this recent poor form, Frankfurt are still in a strong position to attack the European places in the new year after the winter break, sitting in seventh place, just 4 points behind Dortmund.
After finding the net just four times in their opening six games, taking only seven points, Frankfurt have tripled their points tally across the last eight games, scoring 20 in the process, helped massively by that win over Bayern.
Alonso rotated a lot ahead of the clash against Molde, so the Leverkusen coach is expected to return to a similar team to the one that faced Stuttgart last weekend.
There were opportunities for Czech duo Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick, who between them scored three of the five goals in midweek, as well as for Nathan Tella, Jonas Hofmann and Robert Andrich, who all provided assists.
Young Gustavo Puerta also had a rare departure, with the likes of Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Victor Boniface, Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong expected to return.
Brazilian striker Arthur is the familiar injury challenge for the hosts ahead of the clash.
By contrast, Frankfurt are missing several players, including Omar Marmoush, who, despite his goal last weekend, also received his fifth yellow card of the season and will be suspended.
Kristijan Jakic served a European ban in midweek after his sending off against PAOK Salonika, but he is also nursing a calf injury and is set to be sidelined.
The young Algerian Fares Chaibi will be doubtful due to illness and could sign Ellyes Skhiri, Timothy Chandler, Sebastian Rode and Mehdi Loune among the absentees. Bayer Leverkusen imaginable starting lineup: Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Adli, Bonifacio, Wirtz
Possible Eintracht Frankfurt XI: Grahl; Aurelio Buta, Tuta, Koch, Pacho; Knauff, Hasebe, Larsson, Gotze, Dina Ebimbe; Ngankam
With the name Herbstmeisterschaft (winter champion) on the line here, Leverkusen shows no signs of slowing down and victory is about to make their phenomenal start even bigger.
Despite their very good win last weekend, Frankfurt didn’t show much form and suffered a midweek defeat, albeit with a rotating squad, and are a big underdog here. For information on the maximum probable results, scores and more for this fit, click here.