Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2026-01-09 17:30.
[p]Two sides jostling for places in the Bundesliga’s European places meet as Bayer Leverkusen open 2026 with a home clash against Stuttgart. [/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]After ending 2025 with back-to-back wins, Bayer Leverkusen spent the winter break sitting just three points behind second. Winning three consecutive year-opening league games certainly hints that they can keep their momentum going here, and a game against a direct rival seems like a great opportunity to create more daylight in the top-four hunt. Four wins without reply and by multi-goal margins across their last five home league games serve as a hugely positive omen to cling on to, and those results perfectly encapsulate their rise under Kasper Hjulmand, who has collected 28 points in 13 Bundesliga matches – the best start for a Leverkusen coach since Sami Hyypiä in 2013 (31 points after 13 games). [/p]
[p]Inconsistency has plagued Stuttgart across the five rounds leading into the winter break (W1, D2, L2), although consecutive clean sheets to end 2025 should offer hope in their quest for Champions League qualification. Already bolstering their attacking ranks with the signing of Jeremy Arévalo and welcoming Ermedin Demirović back from a long injury, Stuttgart appear primed to make a quick start in 2026. That would be unfamiliar territory for Stuttgart, who have won their league-opening fixture in just one of the last five calendar years (W1, D2, L2), but three wins from their last four competitive away games should have them believing they can improve upon that here. [/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Stuttgart haven’t won a H2H since 2018 (D5, L10), while boss Sebastian Hoeneß has faced Leverkusen more often than any other side without winning a game in his managerial career (D6, L5). [/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Leverkusen are one of only two sides to score in both halves of over 50% of their league games (8/15). [/p]
[p]Leverkusen’s average time to score a goal this season is the 41st minute – the earliest in the Bundesliga.[/p]
[p]Stuttgart have avoided defeat in half of their league games when conceding the opener (W3, D1, L4). [/p]
[p]Stuttgart have conceded a pre-round joint-league high nine goals after the 75th minute this season. [/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Patrik Schick leads the way for Leverkusen with six Bundesliga goals and only against three other sides has he scored more than his five career H2H goals against Stuttgart. Deniz Undav has scored ten times in all competitions for Stuttgart this season, the last six of which arrived away from home. [/p]
[p]Ernest Poku continues to work his way back to fitness for Leverkusen, while Stuttgart’s Lorenz Assignon may have to wait for his full return to the squad following a shoulder injury. [/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]The frequent high-scoring affairs in this fixture could make over 3.5 total goals a sensible choice here.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Matthew Billon[/i][/p]