Bayer Leverkusen are set to take on Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Friday, 1 November with the hosts in need of a win to keep in touching distance of the league leaders.
Xabi Alonso's men aren't having it all their own way this season and currently sit five points behind Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Stuttgart are another team that aren't doing as well as they did last season but a win here would see them go level with Leverkusen.
How the bookies view it: The hosts go in as favourites
Bayer Leverkusen are the favourites for this one but they aren't priced as short as they would have been at the start of the season. A win for Leverkusen has been priced at 8/15 by Betfred while a victory for Stuttgart has been priced at 9/2. The draw, which would be a better result for the visitors, has been priced at 18/5.
Recent head-to-head: Draws galore
The price of 18/5 for a draw on Friday looks very attractive when you consider that four of the last five meetings between Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart have finished all square. Beyond that, Leverkusen have a very impressive record against Stuttgart and are unbeaten in their last 13 matches against them.
The most recent clash between the sides came in the Super Cup at the start of the season which was eventually won by Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a penalty shootout.
Players to watch: A striker desperate for a goal and one that can't stop scoring
Two of the Bundesliga's best strikers will be in action at the Bay Arena on Friday night with Ermedin Demirovic and Victor Bonfice both set to line up for Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
Demirovic was signed by Stuttgart in the summer with the task of replacing Serhou Guirassy who joined Borussia Dortmund. Guirassy netted 28 goals in 28 league appearances for Stuttgart last season so it was never going to be an easy task but Demirovic initially started well, scoring five goals in his first six league matches for Stuttgart.
However, in recent weeks the Bosnian has tailed off and has found the back of the net just once in his last seven appearances for the club. What he would give to get back on track against the champions?
On the flip side, Victor Boniface is scoring at a very impressive rate this season. The Nigerian striker has six goals in eight league appearances this season and is on track to beat the 14 league goals that he managed last season.
Predicted line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen are certain to be without Amine Adli who is recovering from a broken leg while Jeanuel Belocian is a doubt. Stuttgart have more issues than their opponents with Jeff Chabot out due to injury and Luca Raimond and Dan-Axel Zagadou out with injury.
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie – Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo – Terrier, Wirtz – Boniface
Stuttgart: Nubel – Vagnoman, Chase, Rouault, Mittelstadt – Millot, Karazor, Stiller, Leweling – Demirovic, Undav
Anything else catch the eye?
Incredibly, this will be the fourth clash between these two teams in 2024 and the other three have all been brilliant matches. A total of 13 goals have been scored across those three matches and over 3.5 goals to be scored on Friday has been priced at 10/11 by Betfred.
This German Bundesliga match between Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart will be played on Nov 1, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
