Will the Werkself attack the top four once again?
Bayer Leverkusen remain the team of the moment in the Bundesliga. Since Xabi Alonso took over as coach in the Rhineland, only Bayern (43) and Dortmund (41) have picked up more points than the Werkself (38), who recorded their fifth win in a row last weekend and returned to sixth place.
Even the Champions League is still possible with only five points behind fourth place, for which, however, the tip should go to Wolfsburg against Leverkusen for the next three points for the Black-and-Red.
There is not much to suggest that the Lower Saxons will put a spanner in the works of the Werkself. VfL have been waiting for another win in five Bundesliga home games (three draws, two defeats) and have picked up just ten points from their ten games in the second half of the season.
On the other hand, the Rhinelanders have the best offensive record of the second half of the season with 32 goals. The prediction for an away win for the Black-and-Red in Wolfsburg against Leverkusen is correspondingly coherent.
An interesting series between these two clubs also suggests that the Wolves will remain winless in this home match. In none of the last 13 Bundesliga duels between Wolfsburg and Leverkusen did the home team win in the end. In Bundesliga history, only Cologne and Stuttgart had an even longer series without home victories (19 games between 2001 and 2016).
We therefore recommend betting on an away win for the Werkself, who are also the fourth best away team in the Bundesliga overall.
Wolfsburg – Statistics & current form
VfL Wolfsburg have experienced many ups and downs in the 2022/23 season. After a false start, the Lower Saxons first made a remarkable recovery, in the course of which they suddenly sniffed the international starting places again.
Then, however, not much went right in the second half of the season. The Wolves scored just ten points in the ten league games they have played so far in the second half of the season. This corresponds to their weakest second-half haul since 2017/18 (only six points), when they were only able to stay in the Bundesliga via the relegation play-offs.
Winless in five Bundesliga home games
VfL have won just one of their last five league games (three draws, one defeat) and have been without another win, especially in their own stadium, for five Bundesliga home games (three draws, two defeats).
All in all, the Green-Whites are in a sobering twelfth place in the home table. Nevertheless, the train to Europe has not yet left the station. At the moment, they are only four points behind sixth place, which, as is well known, is occupied by the visitors from Leverkusen. So if Wolfsburg win at home against Leverkusen, Kovac’s team could come within reach once again.
Lately with a weak home record against Leverkusen
In addition to their poor home record this season, however, VfL Wolfsburg also have a very poor recent home record against Bayer Leverkusen. The Lower Saxons have lost five of their last six Bundesliga home games against the Werkself (one draw) and picked up just one point out of a possible 18 from those six games.
To make matters worse, the Lower Saxons, who have already trailed for 447 minutes of play in home games in the 2022/23 season (second highest behind Schalke with 488 minutes), have gone scoreless in their last four Bundesliga home games against the Black-and-Red.
Last matches played by Wolfsburg:
Bundesliga
- 09/04/2023 – Gladbach 2 – 0 VfL Wolfsburg
- 01/04/2023 – VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 2 Augsburg
- 18/03/2023 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 1 VfL Wolfsburg
- 13/03/2023 – VfL Wolfsburg 1 – 1 Union Berlin
- 05/03/2023 – VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Leverkusen – Statistics & current form
Bayer Leverkusen have made a weak start to the new season after finishing third in the final table of the 2021/22 season, which also cost coach Gerardo Seoane his job early on. With Xabi Alonso, however, the Rhinelanders subsequently made a real lucky find on the coaching market.
From the 19 league games under the Spaniard’s leadership, the Black and Reds collected 38 points. Only Bayern (43) and Dortmund (41) scored more points in the same period. Consequently, the Werkself, who only played 1-1 against Royale Union SG in the Europa League quarter-finals last week, can hope to qualify for a European competition again.
Unbeaten in ten competitive matches
Currently, Bayer 04 are unbeaten in ten competitive matches (eight wins, two draws) and have won all of their last five games in the Bundesliga alone, scoring 15:5 goals. In any case, the brilliant offensive was the recipe for success. No team has scored more times in the Bundesliga so far in the second half of the season than the Werkself (32 times).
If the winning streak continues in Wolfsburg, Leverkusen can also keep an eye on the Champions League. Fourth place is five points away. In the 2018/19 season, however, the Rhinelanders had already closed the gap to an even greater extent. At that time, they had seven points less than fourth place after 27 matchdays. Should they also make it to the Europa League semi-finals, this competition could also become a springboard to the top flight.
The fourth best away team in the Bundesliga
The impressive away record of the Rhinelanders also speaks for a continuation of the Alonso eleven’s winning streak. Only Bayern (eight) and Dortmund (seven) have celebrated more victories away from home than the black-and-reds (six), who are also fourth overall in the Bundesliga away table.
Consequently, the odds on Wolfsburg against Leverkusen also swing slightly in the direction of the Werkself, who have taken 16 of a possible 18 points from their last six visits to the Volkswagen Arena.
Last games played by Leverkusen:
Europa League Final Stage
- 14/04/2023 – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 1 Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Bundesliga
- 08/04/2023 – Bayer Leverkusen 3 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- 01/04/2023 – Schalke 04 0 – 3 Bayer Leverkusen
- 19/03/2023 – Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 1 Bayern Munich
Europa League Final Stage
- 17/03/2023 – Ferencvaros 0 – 2 Bayer Leverkusen
Wolfsburg – Leverkusen Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
Head to head: 21 – 9 – 24
There have been a total of 54 meetings between the two teams so far and Bayer Leverkusen lead the direct comparison with 24 wins. In the first leg, the two teams drew 2-2. In the last six away games at the Volkswagen Arena, the Werkself remained unbeaten (five wins, one draw).
Wolfsburg – Leverkusen tip
Our prediction for Wolfsburg against Leverkusen is an away win for the Black-and-Red, who not only occupy fourth place in the Bundesliga away table, but have also won five of their last six matches at the Volkswagen Arena (one draw). In addition, the Werkself have won all of their last five league games and have the best offensive output of the second half of the season with 32 goals. Meanwhile, the Wolves have not won any of their last five Bundesliga home games (three draws, two defeats).
It makes sense to play Tip 2 on this clash between the in-form Lower Saxony side, who are just twelfth in the home table, and the Rhinelanders, who are unbeaten in ten games (eight wins, two draws).
