Bayer Leverkusen will have revenge on their minds as they host FC Porto in a UEFA Champions League Group B fixture on Wednesday.
It has been a difficult campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, who are well off the pace in the Bundesliga and also struggling to find their rhythm in Europe. They have claimed just one win in the Champions League and were beaten 2-0 at FC Porto last time out.
That poor run has led to the sacking of manager Gerardo Seoane with Xabi Alonso the new man at the helm. The Spanish gaffer led Bayer Leverkusen to 4-0 victory over Schalke 04 in his first match in charge with Jeremie Frimpong netting a brace while Moussa Diaby and Paulinho were also on target.
One thing Bayer Leverkusen can build on heading into Wednesday’s clash is a decent home record in recent weeks. They have claimed two wins and a draw in their last three matches at the BayArena, a run that includes a 2-0 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
FC Porto have a similar record to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League with one win from three matches. That win came last time out in a 2-0 win over the Germans thanks to goals from Zaidu Sanusi and Galeno.
Aside from their Champions League struggles, it has generally been a decent campaign for Porto. They travel to Germany with three straight wins across all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Portimonense in a Primeira Liga fixture last Saturday.
One thing Porto will be keen to build on in Germany is a solid record on their recent travels. Sergio Conceicao’s men are unbeaten in three of their last four away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Bayer Leverkusen have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/9 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Porto is valued at 40/17 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by William Hill.
Head to head
The victory in last week’s meeting was the first ever victory for Porto over Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans had been unbeaten in the previous three fixtures, claiming two wins in that run.
Players to watch
Moussa Diaby could be worth keeping an eye on for Bayer Leverkusen as he looks to go on a scoring run following his goal last Saturday.
The attacker was also on target in Leverkusen’s last home fixture in the Champions League and is priced at 15/4 by bet365 to find the net on Wednesday.
Evanilson could be the one to watch for FC Porto having scored two goals in his last four home matches. Bet365 has the forward at odds of 21/10 to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality expected to be on display here, both teams could be backed to score at 4/6 with SBK. There has been over 3.5 goals in two of Bayer Leverkusen’s last three matches and a repeat is priced at 2/1 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at 10/13 by Unibet.
Bayer Leverkusen and Porto have produced more goals after the break in the Champions League, so the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Porto will be played on Oct 12, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Porto prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
