Bayer Leverkusen vs VfL Bochum
Bayer Leverkusen can build a bigger lead in the Bundesliga table just in time for the holidays if they beat VfL Bochum at the BayArena.
Because they have yet to lose a single game this season and Bayern Munich lost to Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks ago, Bayer Leverkusen now have at least a four-point lead over the chasing pack.
On the other hand, VfL Bochum are merely fighting to stay away from the relegation zone yet again. After an underwhelming start to the 2023-24 campaign, Thomas Letsch’s side have won two of their last three games to improve to 13th place.
Both sides have picked up their scoring recently, so SBOTOP football fans might be in for a cracker of a match on Wednesday night.
Talking Points
Schick’s return surely helps Bayer Leverkusen
The return of Patrik Schick makes Bayer Leverkusen even more dangerous than they are currently in the final third. After all, Schick was the leading scorer for Die Werkself and was even a candidate for the Golden Boot until he was sidelined for several months because of chronic calf and groyne issues.
The Czech striker made his triumphant comeback by recording Bayer Leverkusen’s second goal in their 2-0 win against BK Häcken in the Europa League group stage.
Schick also scored against Paderborn in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 to seal their passage to the quarter-finals before scoring their first goal in their 5-1 shellacking of Molde in their sixth Europa League group stage match.
With Victor Boniface, among others, likely to be called up by Nigeria in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations next year, Schick’s return to form is timely because he will be called upon to return to his starting No. 9 role.
But for now, Xabi Alonso will continue to ride the hot hand of Victor Boniface, so Schick is going to come off the bench when needed. Alonso is unlikely to make any rotational changes since this is their final game for almost a month.
The only change in the starting XI is Robert Andrich replacing the influential Exequiel Palacios since the Argentine international will have to serve his one-game suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card against Eintracht Frankfurt.
VfL Bochum’s offence starting to click
Die Blauen have picked up six points in their last three league games, which is a positive way to kick off the month of December. If they get three more points against Bayer Leverkusen, that would be ideal.
During this stretch, Thomas Letsch’s boys notched seven goals while conceding four on the other side of the pitch. They beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1, lost to Hoffenheim with the same scoreline, and bounced back against Union Berlin 3-0.
Bayer Leverkusen’s backline will have to account for the trio of Takuma Asano, Kevin Stoger, and Goncalo Paciencia because they have combined for 12 goals and six assists in the league so far this season. And they are very capable of producing Bundesliga 2023 highlights.
History
VfL Bochum actually defeated Bayer Leverkusen in May since the latter was reduced to 10 men after Amine Adli was sent off in just the eighth minute. Die Blauen came away with a 3-0 victory, as Philipp Forster, Takuma Asano, and Kevin Stoger all found the back of the net.
Prior to that, Bayer Leverkusen won 2-0 in January, as Edmond Tapsoba and Adam Hlozek had one goal each in the first and second halves.
Bayer Leverkusen have won 19 of their 28 Bundesliga home matches against VfL Bochum (D4, L5), and they’ve scored in each of those games, which is their longest scoring run at home to any Bundesliga side.
Betting Tip
Lightning is not going to strike twice for VfL Bochum, according to the Bundesliga 2023 odds. Xabi Alonso’s side is priced at 1.17, while a VfL Bochum victory is at 10.00 odds, and a draw also has a high value of 6.60 in the 1X2 market.
VfL Bochum supporters shouldn’t get their hopes up even if their team beat Bayer Leverkusen most recently, because Die Werkself are the form team and a title contender for a reason this season.
However, if you still have faith in the visitors to win, then check out Correct Score 1-0 in their favour since it is priced at a whopping 42.00.This game has the potential to feature a handful of goals. So, other than our recommended bet above, you won’t go wrong going for alternatives like Total Goal 2-3 at 2.37 or even Over 3.50 at 2.07.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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