Union Berlin vs Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title defence hasn’t gone as planned, but they still have time to make another run at the prestigious Meisterschale.
Xabi Alonso’s men are the fourth seed with 20 points, nine points behind table leaders Bayern Munich, and they can cut into the gap if they beat Union Berlin on Saturday. Die Werkself fans will fancy their team’s chances against Die Eisernen after their recent blowout wins over Heidenheim and RB Salzburg.
You can’t say the same for Union Berlin fans, though, as their team has fallen to 10th in the table with 16 points. Union Berlin are on a four-game winless run (D2, L2), and they’re growing desperate to break out of their slump. The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds aren’t optimistic on the host’s chances to win.
Talking Points
Union Berlin will likely go for a smash-and-grab
Since beating Holstein Kiel last month, Union Berlin lost to Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal second round (2-0), Bayern Munich (3-0), and VfL Wolfsburg (1-0) and settled for draws against Eintracht Frankfurt (1-1) and SC Freiburg (0-0).
It’s already a given that Union Berlin lack the requisite firepower to maintain their Top 10 status, so they will play on the back foot against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend. During their barren run, Union Berlin have only found the back of the net once.
Benedict Hollerbach and Tom Rothe remain as the team’s leading scorers with two league goals each, while Kevin Vogt, Yorbe Vertessen, Jeong Woo-Yeong, Laszlo Benes, and Aljoscha Kemlein also have one goal each. Rothe’s emergence in the scoring charts has been a pleasant surprise for Die Eisernen because he is a full-back.
Jordan Pefok has been a flop this season for Union Berlin since he only has one assist under his belt. Don’t be surprised if Bo Svensson replaces Pefok with Hollerbach should the head coach decide to switch things up.
Bayer Leverkusen rediscover their free-scoring ways
After scoring only one goal in their first three games earlier this month, Bayer Leverkusen are back in the Bundesliga 2024 highlights reel after scoring an astounding 10 goals in their last two games.
Die Werkself came from two goals behind to beat Heidenheim. After early goals from Heidenheim’s Niklas Dorsch and Mathias Honsak, Exequiel Palacios, Patrik Schick, and Granit Xhaka completed the remarkable turnaround by putting in five. Bayer Leverkusen also scored five goals against RB Salzburg, as Florian Wirtz, Alejandro Grimaldo, Patrik Schick, and Aleix Garcia found the back of the net.
Schick caught fire during this torrid stretch by Bayer Leverkusen since he has accounted for four goals, including a hat-trick against Heidenheim. With Victor Boniface sidelined for the rest of the year due to a thigh injury, Schick should continue to start up front. Besides Victor Boniface, Bayer Leverkusen are also dealing with injuries to Amine Adli (leg), Jeanuel Belocian (foot), Jonas Hofmann (hamstring), Nordi Mukiele (thigh), and Martin Terrier (arm).
Besides gunning for another Bundesliga title, Bayer Leverkusen also fancy their chances in the Champions League because they are fifth in the table with 10 points.
History
Union Berlin have only won one of their 10 Bundesliga matches against Bayer Leverkusen, which happened in January 2021 (1-0). Since then, Die Eisernen have gone on a seven-match winless streak against Die Werkself (D4, L3) and have failed to score in each of the last four, their longest drought against any Bundesliga opponent. Die Eisernen are winless in their last four Bundesliga games, but they have 10 points more than they had at this juncture last season.
Bayer Leverkusen have recorded the worst start by a defending champion for six years (since Bayern Munich also had 20 points after the opening 11 matchdays in 2018-19). However, they are unbeaten in their last 22 Bundesliga road games (W16, D6) and have scored in all 22 of these games.
Betting Tip
The Bundesliga 2024 odds expect the visitors to win this weekend. Bayer Leverkusen are 1.74 favourites to win, while Union Berlin are 4.24 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 3.45 in the 1X2 market. Bayer Leverkusen are on a hot streak right now, and it will likely continue in Berlin on Saturday. Besides our recommended bet above, bettors can also go for options like Total Goals 2-3 at 1.99, Over 2.25 at 1.66, Over 2.50 at 1.88, and Over 2.75 at 2.13.
A Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Bayer Leverkusen – the result of their last league meeting – is priced at 6.60. Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 0-0 could give you a huge payday of 11.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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