Who will end their negative streak?
There are teams that play at their limit and can then live very well with places at the bottom of the standings. Others, on the other hand, have great expectations but don’t even come close to them and so one must then speak of a used season. Two of these teams meet on Sunday in the BayArena and we take a look at where our tip could go in the duel between Leverkusen and Hertha.
The Werkself is one of those teams that you would have expected to be much further up the table. Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, has called the battle for seventh place. For a club with such potential, this is actually a disaster, especially as they are still lagging behind the corrected season goal. Bayer 04 is currently only in eleventh place. They are five points off seventh place. Perhaps they will somehow manage to bring this season to a passable end.
It was foreseeable that Hertha would have to fight to stay in the league again this year after last year’s relegation. The advantage of the Berliners, however, is that they knew about their situation from the start and have accepted this mission. Currently, the old lady from the capital is just above the red zone with 20 points and 15th place. However, the cushion on the direct relegation places is only one point.
The bottom line is that there is more at stake for the Berliners. The advantage, however, is that they can and have got completely involved in the relegation battle, while the Werkself also have to deal with international tasks.
Leverkusen – statistics & current form
For Bayer Leverkusen, it can be dangerous to put the focus on the Europa League too early, even though it is now probably a priority. Against Ferencvaros Budapest next week, it’s all about a place in the quarter-finals. Perhaps the Werkself will achieve a similar feat this year as Eintracht Frankfurt did last season.
BayArena not a fortress
But for that to happen, more has to come from the team at the BayArena. Xabi Alonso’s team has lost three of its last three games at home. At the moment, the home advantage is a bit of a hindrance and this is another indication that you should keep an eye on the odds for the visitors to win a point in the match between Leverkusen and Hertha.
Things are much better away from home. Last weekend, Bayer 04 had to play the difficult guest game at SC Freiburg. Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick were initially spared, but had to play in the second period after the 0:1 score at the break. The guarantor for the 1-1 draw was Iranian Sardar Azmoun, who scored the final goal after just over an hour.
On Sunday, one can definitely expect a rotation. The aforementioned Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick are options for the starting eleven, as is Adam Hlozek.
Last games of Leverkusen:
Bundesliga
26/02/2023 – SC Freiburg 1 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – AS Monaco (3)2 – 3(5) Bayer Leverkusen
Bundesliga
20/02/2023 – Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 3 Mainz 05
Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 3 AS Monaco
Bundesliga
11/02/2023 – Hoffenheim 1 – 3 Bayer Leverkusen
Hertha – Statistics & current form
Maybe it will pay off for Hertha BSC to stick with Sandro Schwarz this season. The results this season would have been sufficient reason for other clubs to fire the coach. But what you have seen in almost every game of the old lady is that this team is alive. The Berliners put up a fight in every game and try everything to free themselves from the lower regions of the table.
Away not much goes
Just as with Bayer 04, there are two pairs of shoes for the Berliners, whether they play at home or away. Hertha don’t get much done away from home and have lost three times in a row. A draw would therefore be a great success for the visitors from the Spree. However, this also means that you should not make a clear prediction on an away win between Leverkusen and Hertha.
At least the Berliners got an extremely important home win last week when Augsburg visited the Olympiastadion in heavy snow. Once again it was Marco Richter, who is currently responsible for the important goals, who put the old lady 1:0 ahead. Dodi Lukebakio then added the final goal to make it 2-0.
Perhaps this goal will also put Dodi Lukebakio in the starting line-up for Berlin at the BayArena. Defensively, Sandro Schwarz should have all his men on board again. Marc-Oliver Kempf is back with a facial injury and Marton Dardai is over his hip injury.
Last matches of Hertha:
Bundesliga
25/02/2023 – Hertha BSC 2 – 0 Augsburg
19/02/2023 – Borussia Dortmund 4 – 1 Hertha BSC
12/02/2023 – Hertha BSC 4 – 1 Gladbach
04/02/2023 – Eintracht Frankfurt 3 – 0 Hertha BSC
28/01/2023 – Hertha BSC 0 – 2 Union Berlin
Leverkusen – Hertha Direct comparison / H2H balance
For the 60th time in total, the teams of Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha BSC face each other on Sunday. In the direct comparison, the Werkself has a relatively clear lead with 28:15 wins in 16 draws. However, the Berliners have done well in the last duels. Of the last seven encounters, Bayer 04 have won only one, while Hertha have still come out on top three times.
The old lady has even won two of the last five games at the BayArena. In the first leg, the two rivals shared the points at the Olympiastadion.
Leverkusen – Hertha Tip
Bayer Leverkusen’s priorities have shifted more and more towards the European Cup this season. This is a clear indication that the Werkself still has all the possibilities internationally, but has disappeared into no-man’s land in the Bundesliga table. Especially at home, Xabi Alonso’s team is squandering a better position and has recently suffered three defeats in a row at the BayArena.
Now, however, comes a grateful opponent in the form of Hertha, as the Berliners have suffered three defeats in their last three away games.
If the Werkself ever gets going, which is indeed never out of the question, especially with the offensive quality the Rhinelanders possess, then both teams not only have to score once, there can also be many goals. We have therefore decided to play the betting odds on more than 2.5 goals in the match between Leverkusen and Hertha.
