Bayer Leverkusen vs Freiburg prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2022-09-02 13:30.
Bayer Leverkusen halted a run of three straight defeats to begin their Bundesliga campaign with a 3-0 victory at Mainz, with all three goals coming in a 12-minute burst during the first half. Manager Gerardo Seoane will certainly hope that’s a sign of better form to come after impressively leading his side to third place in his debut season last year – Leverkusen’s highest league finish since 2016.
However Die Werkself’s losing start to the campaign saw them concede the opening goal in three successive league fixtures for the first time since May 2017, with Seoane describing their form as “difficult” and that his “team looks unsettled” – a situation they need to resolve before Champions League action begins next week. Seoane will know his side needs to be at their best to secure a victory here too, as they come up against an in-form Freiburg against whom they share an equal H2H over the past two seasons (W2, L2).
Freiburg’s strong start to the campaign has seen Christian Streich’s side claim three victories from their opening four league fixtures, in what is their joint-best four-game start to a Bundesliga campaign in the club's history. The Breisgau-Brasilianers are the only Bundesliga side to have scored the opening goal in all their contests so far, placing them just one point behind Bayern Munich, suggesting they are able to withstand their opposition after beginning matches strongly.
A frenetic finish to their last Bundesliga campaign saw three or more goals scored in each of Freiburg’s concluding seven fixtures, as they recorded their highest finish (sixth) since the turn of the century, and Europa League football beckons for them next week as a result. A similarly frenzied start to this season, with eight goals in their opening two games, has somewhat been replaced by a more meticulous approach after two successive 1-0 victories – the first time they have recorded back-to-back league clean sheets since last September.
Players to watch: Despite a slow start to this season, Czech striker Patrik Schick should continue to be the danger man for Leverkusen – six of his last seven league strikes have come in winning causes. Meanwhile, last season’s club top scorer Vincenzo Grifo has made an equally strong start to this campaign, netting the winning goal in Freiburg’s last two fixtures.
Hot stat: Of the ten goals recorded across Leverkusen’s opening four league fixtures, eight have come during the first half.