Will the Werkself close the gap to Bayern to three points?
Can Bayer 04 Leverkusen make the race for the German championship exciting again? The fact is that Bayern are currently only six points ahead of the defending champions. The Werkself even has the opportunity to reduce the gap to three points at the start of the 27th matchday. The prerequisite for this is that Leverkusen’s tip to win proves true in their home game against Bochum on Friday evening.
Coach Xabi Alonso’s team go into the game as clear favorites and have tasted blood again after their dramatic 4-3 win in Stuttgart before the international break. A win against the relegation candidates from the Ruhr is firmly on the cards, although, in view of the Leverkusen v Bochum prediction, it must be taken into account that Hecking’s team were able to take all three points from the Allianz Arena at the beginning of the month.
Given that Bayer has been warned and will not take VfL, who have not been beaten away from home in their last three matches, lightly, the role of favorites for the hosts is perfectly understandable. In the run-up to the Leverkusen v Bochum game, odds of 1.27 are being offered on the home side’s success, which implies a 79% probability of occurrence.
Leverkusen v Bochum prediction AI
The assessment of the artificial intelligence coincides with the odds distribution of the bookmakers. A nearly 80% probability of victory underlines the towering favorite role of the Werkself, who are also believed to have a few goals. Taking the AI-generated xG value of 2.64 as a benchmark, “BETSiE” even recommends betting on at least three goals from the host. Alternatively, the handicap (-1.5) can be used. Basically, however, the Leverkusen vs. Bochum AI forecast is clearly aimed at a sovereign three points for the reigning double winner.
Leverkusen – Statistics & current form
Anyone who thought that the elimination against FC Bayern in the Champions League would have a lasting effect on Leverkusen’s performance in the Bundesliga was immediately proven wrong on the last match day to date. The Werkself were twice two goals behind in Stuttgart (0:2, 1:3) but still left the field as winners. Thanks to two goals in the last 8 minutes, Alonso’s team turned the game around 4:3 and reduced the gap to leaders Bayern to six points.
Does Leverkusen need their comeback skills again?
On the one hand, the reigning champions once again showed great spirit. On the other hand, the last-minute gene came out again. Although the current second-placed team was only behind in six Bundesliga games this season, no other club has recorded more wins and more points after being behind than Bayer 04. In addition, since the start of the previous season, they have scored 23 goals from minute 90 or later across all competitions…
However, the comeback qualities will probably not play a major role on Friday evening, because in the home game against the third-last of the league, the Rhinelanders are certainly aiming for a commanding victory. Especially in view of the fact that the semi-final in the DFB Cup against surprise team Arminia Bielefeld is coming up next week. The more grains that can be saved, the better.
Among other things, that’s why my prediction for the game between Leverkusen and Bochum is a start-to-finish victory for the home side, who have scored the most goals of any team in the first 45 minutes this Bundesliga season and have already led at half-time 15 times. In 11 of 15 cases, the double winners ultimately left the pitch as winners. Although Florian Wirtz, the difference player par excellence, is still out of action due to injury, the 1.75 in the Betano app for HT1/FT1 is definitely an exciting quote.
Bochum – Statistics & current form
The first leg at home will be fondly remembered in Bochum. Dieter Hecking made his debut as VfL coach that day and was able to celebrate a sensational point against the star ensemble from the city of pharmaceuticals (1:1). Since then, 16 more Bundesliga games have been added under the experienced head coach, in which a respectable 16 points have been earned. Apart from the still-limited points tally, Hecking has brought back the faith of the “anne Castroper”.
Will Bochum remain unbeaten away from home for the fourth time in a row?
At the latest after the sensational 3-2 triumph at Bayern earlier this month, hopes of avoiding relegation are higher than ever this season. In Munich, the relegation candidates even managed to come back from 2-0 down to claim a morale-boosting three points. However, they were unable to build on this unexpected success just under two weeks ago, losing 3-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in their home game despite putting in a decent performance.
Ahead of Friday evening’s match between Leverkusen and Bochum, the odds show that the betting providers with a German license do not have a great deal of faith in the outsiders from the Ruhr in the Rhineland, who are already five points behind a direct non-relegation spot. Even if you bet on a draw, you can get a whopping 6.50 at Winamax. If you win, find out about the payout period at Winamax!
The serious underdog role is sometimes justified by the fact that VfL has only managed to get eight points out of 13 away games this season. In the away table, the blue and whites are in second-last place. However, there is still a small glimmer of hope, as Bochum have not lost in any of their last three Bundesliga away games (1-2-0). Hecking’s team has also scored at least one goal in three consecutive matches, which can be taken as an opportunity to check the betting odds for goals by both teams between Leverkusen and Bochum. For example, Bet-at-Home offers 1.88.
Leverkusen – Bochum Head to head / H2H record
The Bundesliga will see the 60th match between Leverkusen and Bochum on Friday evening. With 28 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats, the Werkself currently still leads the direct comparison by a clear margin. Especially at home, the Rhinelanders rarely managed to score. Bayer has won 20 of its 29 Bundesliga home games. Most recently, they have even recorded four consecutive Bundesliga home wins, three of which included clean sheets. However, as already mentioned, the first leg ended in a surprising 1-1 draw.
Leverkusen – Bochum betting tip
If Bayer 04 Leverkusen really wants to attack or at least put pressure on the league leaders from Munich again, then the Alonso team must not allow themselves any slip-ups in the remaining part of the season. Consequently, only a win will do in the home game against VfL Bochum on Friday evening. My doubts that they won’t manage this are limited, even though the guests from the Ruhr won their last away game at FC Bayern and generally remained unbeaten in three consecutive away games.
But in terms of quality, the advantages naturally lie with the second-placed team, who, thanks to their 4-3 last-minute victory in Stuttgart, have once again given rise to a glimmer of hope in the race for the championship. In view of the Rhinelanders’ traditionally strong first halves, I’m going for HT1/FT1 between Leverkusen and Bochum, which I’m playing at a maximum rate of 1.75 with six units as a stake.
