Bayer Leverkusen vs Bochum prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-12-19 19:30.
Bayer Leverkusen’s fairytale Bundesliga campaign got back to winning ways with a commanding 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last time out, after a pair of 1-1 draws allowed the chasing pack to make up ground on the league leaders. Xabi Alonso’s side therefore continue to rewrite the history books, having now registered their best-ever start to a Bundesliga campaign through 15 matches (W12, D3).
Not only that, but Die Werkself are also the first German top-flight side to open a season unbeaten through 15 games since Borussia Dortmund in 2018/19. The possessors of the league’s best defence will look to extend their dominance in front of their beloved BayArena faithful here, who they’ve treated to an incredible 11 wins in 12 home games this season in all competitions (D1), scoring 3+ goals in all but two of those matches.
Next up to try and disrupt lethal Leverkusen are Bochum, who after starting the season winless in their opening nine league games (D5, L4), are in the midst of a recovery having lost just once in their last six outings (W3, D2). That’s opened up a decent buffer between themselves and the relegation zone, meaning the pressure has been momentarily lifted off manager Thomas Letsch and his side.
That lone loss in the Blues’ last six matches did come in their last fixture on the road, a 3-1 defeat against Hoffenheim. Avoiding suffering back-to-back away league defeats for the first time since February will be an especially tough task for Bochum, who have lost no fewer than 13 of the last 18 H2Hs when paying Leverkusen a visit (W4, D1).
Players to watch: Leverkusen’s top-scorer this season is Victor Boniface and he has struck the match opener within 15 minutes in three of his last four goalscoring outings. But it was Kevin Stöger who had the final laugh when these sides last met, scoring the third goal in Bochum’s 3-0 win in May, part of a sequence of five of his last seven goals coming after half-time.
Hot stat: Leverkusen have been winning at half-time a league-high ten times this season, going on to secure the victory on each occasion.