Bayer Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2025-02-01 16:30.
[p]After securing their passage straight through to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16 with a 2-0 home win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday, Bayer Leverkusen return to domestic action as they look to maintain the pressure on league leaders Bayern Munich. Across all competitions, Die Werkself have now won eight successive games at the Bay Arena, conceding just five times along the way. [/p]
[p]Xabi Alonso’s side have actually only been beaten in one of their last 53 Bundesliga fixtures, and league games on a Sunday have often proven kind to them in that run. None of Leverkusen’s last 23 matches on this day of the week have ended in defeat (W16, D7), with the last three all producing victories while scoring a minimum of four goals in each![/p]
[p]That could be a concern for 15th-placed Hoffenheim who are on the division’s longest ongoing winless run on Sundays (D6, L2), although they have won two of their last four games (D1, L1) across league and cup – a significant improvement on their previous 16 matches which yielded only two victories.[/p]
[p]This upturn in form has been particularly welcome for manager Christian Ilzer who had seen his team fall into the relegation play-off place after a 5-0 humbling against Bayern Munich in mid-January. Since then, they have scored 11 goals across four matches and although they will arrive at the BayArena with a lengthy injury list, they will do so by targeting a third successive away win after beating Anderlecht 4-3 on Thursday and Kiel 3-1 in the last round.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Alejandro Grimaldo has won all three of his H2Hs against Hoffenheim and scored twice in the away fixture last season. He also provided an assist on Wednesday evening to make it three goal contributions (G1, A2) from the last four home games. Teenage midfielder Tom Bischof, who has agreed to sign for Bayern Munich in the summer, has been a key part of Hoffenheim’s recent resurgence. He has been particularly effective in away games, with two assists and a goal across his side’s last two trips.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: There has been an average of two first-half goals in Hoffenheim’s last five games across all competitions.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]