Bundesliga: Are Freiburg Capable of Delaying Leverkusen’s Coronation?

SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen need at least 18 points from their final nine league games to officially become Bundesliga champions for the first time ever, and it won’t matter what Bayern Munich do.

Die Werkself are fresh from beating 10-man VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 last time out. And after taking on Qarabag FK for the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie later, up next for them are SC Freiburg on Sunday.

SC Freiburg are aiming to make it back to Europe next season, but they still have a long way to go. Despite going unbeaten in their last two league games, the Black Forest are still in eighth place with 33 points, seven points behind sixth place.

Like Bayer Leverkusen, SC Freiburg will finish their Europa League Round of 16 tie against West Ham United later.

Talking Points

Eggestein out for SC Freiburg

Because they have a busy week, head coach Christian Streich will have to rotate his squad, but he won’t have the luxury to do so because they’re a bit undermanned.

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (knee), Philipp Lienhart (groin), and Kenneth Schmidt (abdominals) are all out due to injuries, while Maximilian Eggestein is not available on Sunday because he has to serve his one-match suspension after an accumulation of yellow cards.

Eggestein is one of the Black Forest’s key players, so he will be missed, although he should be able to play later against West Ham United.

With Eggestein sidelined this weekend, Merlin Rohl should take his spot in the starting XI. The 21-year-old should make an impact in midfield, as he has already recorded two goals and three assists this season.

Meanwhile, Michael Gregoritsch has found his stride after scoring two goals in their last two games against West Ham and VfL Bochum. As a result, he now has 10 goals and four assists under his belt this season, good for second behind Vincenzo Grifo in the team’s scoring chart.

Boniface set to return soon for Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen have just received a significant injury boost as they continue to make inroads toward their first-ever Bundesliga crown. Both Xabi Alonso and Simon Rolfes confirmed that Victor Boniface’s recovery is right on schedule and that he’s expected to return to the squad as soon as the first week of April.

Prior to the groin injury that he sustained while on international duty with Nigeria during the AFCON, Victor Boniface emerged as Die Werkself’s leading scorer (and he still is) with 14 goals and eight assists since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Union Saint-Gilloise last summer.

This development would make Bayer Leverkusen even scarier, but they won’t rush Boniface back because they’ve been coping well without him.

Alex Grimaldo, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong have picked up the offencive load in Victor Boniface’s absence, having combined for 29 goals and 30 assists so far, while Jonas Hofmann, Nathan Tella, and Patrik Schick have tallied six goals apiece.

History

Bayer Leverkusen managed to beat SC Freiburg earlier this season via a 2-1 scoreline, as Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann found the back of the net for Die Werkself before Manuel Guide scored the consolation goal for the Black Forest.

SC Freiburg have lost just two of their last 10 Bundesliga home matches against Bayer Leverkusen (W3, D5), with their last loss being a 4-2 result on the sixth matchday of the 2020-21 campaign. However, they are winless at home in three consecutive league games (D2, L1).

Bayer Leverkusen are undefeated in 25 consecutive Bundesliga matches (W21, D4), which is a new club record in the German top-flight, making them only the second side in Bundesliga history to do so since Bayern Munich in 2013-14 (W28).

And Xabi Alonso’s men have won their last five Bundesliga away matches, which is a joint-club record after going on a similar run in December 2020.

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2024 odds are in favour of Bayer Leverkusen staying unbeaten against SC Freiburg. Die Werkself are 1.53 favourites to win, whereas the hosts are at 5.10 odds, and a draw is at 3.95 in the 1X2 market.

Based on their recent meetings, it’s fair to say that SBOTOP football fans will get their dose of Bundesliga 2024 highlights from this particular fixture, so bets like Total Goals 2-3 at 1.97 and Over 2.75 at 1.90 are great alternatives to think about.

Other than our recommendations above, you can also go for Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Bayer Leverkusen – the result of their reverse fixture – since it is being offered at a generous price of 7.40.

 

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