Bundesliga: Leverkusen Can Gain an Insurmountable Lead After Hoffenheim Clash

Bayer Leverkusen vs TSG Hoffenheim

Leverkusen are set for a Bundesliga clash with a disgruntled Hoffenheim at BayArena this weekend, and all eyes will surely be on this marquee matchup as Leverkusen hope to continue their fairytale run this season.

Xabi’s outfit is currently 10 points clear of Bayern in the league standings, and they have a great opportunity to add to their already impressive lead with a win against Hoffenheim, who have lost two straight games coming into their top-flight bout.

Florian Wirtz has been on fire for both club and country in the past few weeks, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Hoffenheim’s first third has surely taken note of the 20-year-old’s hot foot, and should brace themselves as their team’s last bastion of defence.

Talking Points

Florian Wirtz emerges as Leverkusen’s main man

Xabi’s well-oiled machine boasts itself as an outfit with a holistic style of play, not needing to rely on a single superstar to carry them night in and night out. But their No. 10, Florian Wirtz, has been playing his best form as of late and has emerged as Leverkusen’s ace.

The 20-year-old maestro has already tallied seven goals and 10 assists in the German top flight alone, producing at a high level every time Leverkusen grace the pitch.

Wirtz game big early during their recent Bundesliga clash with Freiburg, as he scored the opening goal as early as the second minute of the first half. That goal set the tone for the entire game, as Leverkusen triumphed over Freiburg in a five-goal showdown with a score line of 2-3.

The attacking midfielder has been instrumental in Leverkusen’s fairytale season, and he’s starting to make some noise in the international stage as well.

At such a young age, Wirtz has already proven his status as one of the best stars in German football, and he showcased why this title is accurate by drilling a long-range stunner against Kylian Mbappe’s France during their friendly clash. His goal came in just over seven seconds of the first half, which marked his first goal for his country and the second fastest international goal ever recorded.

Hoffenheim’s European dreams slowly slipping away

This season has seen a great improvement from Hoffenheim compared to their results last season. In the start of the 2024 calendar year, Die Kraichgauer were in a convincing position to rally for European contention next season by clinching at least the sixth spot in the standings, but thanks to their back-to-back losses, it seems that they’ve fallen back to earth and will have to claw their way back up the table.

After losing three of their last five Bundesliga bouts, Hoffenheim find themselves trailing sixth-seeded Frankfurt by seven points. It is not an impossible task, but they might find themselves deeper in the hole after they lock horns with the unbeaten Leverkusen on Saturday.

Matarazzo and his outfit need to at least tally a draw against Leverkusen to stay competitive in the standings, but that’s a tall ask for any club in the German top flight, especially with how dominant Die Werkself have been this season.

If the striving Hoffenheim manage to get reasonable Bundesliga 2024 results against Mainz, Mönchengladbach, and Bochum before they lock horns with the Red Bulls, then they could be back in European contention in no time.

Their first third needs to keep it clean for the rest of the season, as they’ve struggled to keep opponents out of their goal, and that doesn’t technically do them any favours. Hoffenheim’s last clean sheet was back on April 10, 2023, when they played host to Schalke at PreZero Arena.

History

Since 2008, these proud outfits have faced each other 31 times across all competitions. In those games, Leverkusen have bossed their head-to-heads by garnering 18 wins, while Hoffenheim have seven wins and were able to tally six draws to boot.

During their most recent matchup, Hoffenheim played host to Leverkusen, and both teams battled it out in a five-goal thriller. Alejandro Grimaldo’s goal in minute 70 gave Die Werkself the late lead and was enough for Leverkusen to hold onto a 2-3 lead.

Betting Tip

No surprises here. The SOBTOP Bundesliga 2024 betting odds have Xabi’s Leverkusen as the clear favourites with a price of 1.21, while the struggling Hoffenheim stand as the underdogs at 8.80 with a draw price of 6.20.

If Florian Wirtz is up to his usual antics, Leverkusen should have the lead before halftime, and it’s hard to imagine them losing the game to Hoffenheim, especially since they’re riding a two-game losing streak. Which is why I predict that Leverkusen will have the lead during both halftime and fulltime.

 

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