Does Leverkusen deliver a gala performance?

The best Bayer 04 Leverkusen team of all time is undisputedly the noble selection from the 2002 season. The squad of the century around leader Michael Ballack and world champion Lucio reached the Champions League final under coach Klaus Topmöller and lost here only narrowly with 1:2 against Real Madrid. This season, not only has the name Topmöller returned to the benches of the Bundesliga, but Leverkusen is also reminiscent of the glory days of yesteryear.

The Werkself currently leads the Bundesliga unbeaten and clearly won the two cup matches in the DFB Cup and Europa League. It is the best start to a season in the club’s history under coach Xabi Alonso, whose team is also fully convincing in terms of play. In the Rhineland, the sporting leadership nevertheless remains humble for the time being, as does a new quality under the Bayer cross.

Now a compulsory task awaits the multiple German runners-up in Molde vs. Leverkusen. Odds on the guests are negligible due to the high favourite status, we will have to look for other options. However, a surprise by the Norwegian hosts also seems rather out of the question.

For the clear favourite position, Bayer 04 has done a lot. In the Bundesliga, the squad around the new leader Xhaka won five out of six games. Only the great FC Bayern managed to drop a point at the Rhinelanders’ 2:2 in the Allianz Arena.

The reward is currently the top of the table and a broader chest than Hercules. Leverkusen dominates matches, stands firm at the back and is mercilessly efficient up front at times. In the middle of it all is goal-scorer Boniface, a transfer who has hit the ground running.

Will the forward also score in the clash between Molde and Leverkusen? Tips on a goal by the Belgian breaker are rewarded with excellent odds, but coach Alonso may also rotate and give his injury-prone striker a break.

The hosts from the north have had a disappointing season, with the reigning champions and cup winners of Norway finishing in fifth place. In the Europa League, last year’s double winners lost 0:1 against Agdam on the first matchday.

So are the home side just a snack for the hungry Bayer Lions? Maybe, with Molde vs. Leverkusen, predictions on the hosts bring odds of around 6.80. Very high, but also extremely unlikely.

Molde – Statistics & current form

Even though Erling Haaland is currently presenting Norwegian football at the highest level week after week on the European stage, there is little of that spirit left at his former club Molde at the moment.

The reigning champions are only fifth in the Norwegian league and even though coach Erling Moe’s team recently beat league leaders Stavanger 4-0, they are still ten points behind first place.

Last season’s double winners are still in the final of the national cup and want to make a further splash in the Europa League. After the opening defeat against Agdam, however, the Norwegian representatives are now under pressure against Bayer 04.

Just missed out on the CL

The fact that the five-time Norwegian champions only find themselves in Europe’s second-highest division is due to their failure to qualify in a direct clash with Galatasaray Istanbul.

The Norwegians lost 2:3 and 1:2 against the Turkish noble club, after the team had successfully survived two CL qualifying rounds before. Compared to Bayer 04, however, the quality gap is immense, which is also reflected in the market value of the two European teams.

While the hosts from the Norwegian municipality are cracking the 22 million mark with their squad, Bayer is just about to reach 450 million. This explains the high betting odds on the hosts in Molde vs Leverkusen. They are simply the clear underdogs on Thursday and actually have little to lose.

At least the home record is encouraging: the hosts have lost only one of ten league games. The Norwegians also sniffed a draw at home against Galatsaray and were even in the lead at times. Whether they can pull off a coup against Leverkusen remains to be seen. The Werkself is an even stronger team than the Turkish CL representative.

Predicted line-up of Molde:

Molde (Expected line-up) 3-5-2

Leverkusen – Statistics & current form

How good is Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season? The clear answer: blatantly good! The Werkself not only already defied Bayern Munich in their fortress, but also beat RB Leipzig in a direct duel. Absolute German top class!

In addition, coach Alonso’s team dissected Mainz 05 by every trick in the book on the last Bundesliga matchday, the 05ers were once a fearful opponent for the Rhinelanders. How routinely Bayer solved the task this time must scare the entire competition.

But now it’s time to get the Europa League out of the way and defend the top spot in the league. At Leverkusen, there is only a bit of unrest off the pitch at the moment, with the focus on coach Alonso.

Real Madrid are knocking on the door

The Spaniard led Bayer to super form in less than a year, now Real Madrid is reportedly luring him. The former Champions League final opponents of the Werkself have cast an eye on the manager as the successor to Carlo Ancelotti.

No one would blame Alonso if he took this opportunity. But every Leverkusen fan hopes the coach will stay until the end of the season. And then there seems to be a lot in it with this team.

The Werkself squad is broader than ever and virtually all the newcomers have delivered from the start of the season. On the one hand, there is the Belgian Boniface, who is already getting up close and personal with the best strikers in the Bundesliga. The other is free-kick artist Grimaldo, who has so far embodied world class at the full-back position.

And as if these two top players weren’t enough, Xhaka and Hofmann have also integrated top into the team and are already regulars. Leverkusen’s transfer summer has so far bordered on perfection, and with Wirtz, Bayer already had an outstanding international-level player in their own ranks.

The DFB youngster gets wide-eyed when he talks about Alonso and his coaching. The Spaniard is certainly the foundation of Bayer’s success, the former world-class player even often joins in the training sessions himself and exudes the self-confidence that the frequent runners-up have so far repeatedly lacked.

With all these laurels, the fact remains that the season is still very fresh and young. But with every win, Bayer certainly moves more into title position and currently the team is completely in the flow.

On Thursday, the former DFB Cup winner wants to cement first place in the Europa League group with Molde vs. Leverkusen. By the way, betting odds on a Europa League win for the Werkself are around 15.00, the second lowest after the Reds from Liverpool. After last year’s semi-final, anything seems possible with the current selection.

Predicted Leverkusen line-up:

Bayer Leverkusen (Expected line-up) 3-4-2-1

Molde – Leverkusen Direct comparison / H2H balance

107 Champions League games compared to six, 128 Europa League games compared to 39. Before Thursday’s clash, only such comparisons can be made as the two clubs have never faced each other on the pitch. That virginity has finally come to an end.

Molde – Leverkusen Tip

Bayer 04 Leverkusen is in the best form of the last ten years right now. The Werkself is convincing on all levels and also seems mentally solid. Even though the odds on a stumble by the visitors in the Euro clash between Molde and Leverkusen are very high, we think it is very unlikely.

Coach Alonso always manages to focus his team for every opponent and at the end of the day, the home side simply lacks the quality to really threaten Bayer 04.

We will have to look for other options and tend towards a prediction in terms of goals. While the ball is rolling in Norway on Thursday, many other top favourites are of course also getting into the action.

Molde has scored in his last three competitive matches and also netted twice in the CL qualifiers in front of his home crowd against Galatasaray. Leverkusen have one of the most variable offences in Germany and have scored in every competitive match so far.

At the same time, the Bayer defence seems to be due for another goal after a lot of fortune against Mainz. We think it is very likely that both teams will score on Thursday and therefore go with the prediction “Both score” for Molde vs. Leverkusen.