Bayer Leverkusen suffered their biggest defeat since 2013 midweek but will be keen on extending their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga when they host Freiburg on Sunday.
Things seemed to be finally going in the right direction for Bayer Leverkusen, but then PSG decided to score seven goals against them. Die Werkself fans will want to forget this episode as quickly as possible and are probably glad that the next match is at home. Leverkusen can achieve four consecutive wins for the first time since the start of the year, but to do so they must defeat Freiburg, who are also making obvious progress.
Unlike the hosts, Freiburg can boast a victory from the last round in Europe, although it was in the Europa League and against a much more modest team than the hegemonic PSG. What is more significant is that it was Freiburg's eighth consecutive game without a loss in all competitions. But while this is some success, the Breisgau Brazilians' last three Bundesliga matches have been draws, which is the main reason they are in the middle of the table.
How the bookies view it: Leverkusen to bounce back with a win
Bookmakers are definitely leaning towards a home win, but the odds still take the visitors' positive form into account. At the moment, you can choose Bayer Leverkusen at 17/20, while Freiburg are available at 3/1. You can also choose to bet on the draw at 29/10.
Recent head-to-head: Die Werkself are unbeaten in five
Freiburg fans have not had much to cheer about in recent years, as their team last beat Bayer Leverkusen in 2022. Although they managed to secure a draw in their last home game last season, we cannot fail to mention the resounding 5-1 defeat at this stadium.
Players to watch: Grimaldo needs this
With the early injury crisis at Leverkusen, it is harder to find a suitable pick in difficult fixtures like this one. But we believe that Alejandro Grimaldo is a valid option and not just because he is Die Werkself’s top scorer in the Bundesliga this season, despite being a wing-back. He had a particularly bad performance against PSG – probably one of his worst since joining Leverkusen in 2023.
And we know how incredible he is on a normal day. With key goalscorers like Schick still out, Grimaldo needs to help his team against Freiburg. And if Leverkusen land a penalty kick, it will be Grimaldo who shoots.
Probable line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken, Tapsoba, Bade, Quansah, Grimaldo, Fernandez, Garcia, Arthur, Hofmann, Poku, Kofane
Freiburg: Atubolu, Kubler, ginter, Lienhart, Makengo, Eggestein, Manzambi, Beste, Holer, Scherhant, Adamu
Anything else catch the eye?
Regardless of who won or lost the recent H2Hs, we have to mention that each of the last 10 H2Hs featured goals from both teams. This rivalry has produced some incredible games, including nine overs.
And with both teams averaging over 3.0 goals per match, we can definitely expect some action. Whether you pick BTTS or Over 2.5, it will be a good choice, and we plan to combine them into one bet. The odds are actually surprisingly high, so we have to take advantage.
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