Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-03-04 14:30.
Bayer Leverkusen’s impressive continued involvement in the latter stages of the Europa League is juxtaposed with some questionable league form across the last five rounds (W1, D1, L3). Slipping into the bottom-half in recent weeks, boss Xabi Alonso will now hope to finish the domestic season as strongly as possible, with a ten-point gap to the top-six ahead of this round leaving their European qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
In fact, Leverkusen’s four-point haul so far in 2023 is their worst start to a new year since the second half of the 2008/09 campaign, a season in which they failed to achieve a European finish. Returning home is unlikely to be the catalyst for success either as Leverkusen are on the verge of losing three straight home league games for the second time this season – that’s something they hadn’t done on even one occasion in any of the previous eight campaigns.
Things are looking a little less dire for Hertha Berlin after two wins from their previous three league games saw them enter this round one point outside of the bottom-three. Club captain defender Marvin Plattenhardt helped Hertha secure a clean sheet in their last match (W 2-0), and will likely be key again if they’re to remain in the Bundesliga as the capital club have not won a league game he’s missed this season (D1, L2), whilst last campaign they even recorded a 44% win-rate with him in the team compared to just 7% without!
However Plattenhardt and co will have their work cut out to improve Hertha’s shocking away league form (4 points) which has seen them lose six consecutive away league games – one more would make this their worst run since a nine-game streak in 2016/17. There is a glimmer of hope though as they’re unbeaten in six of their last seven league meetings with Leverkusen (W3, D3, L1).
Players to watch: Moussa Diaby leads the way for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga scoring charts (G7), and each of his last three league goals was the match winner. Looking to outdo him will be Hertha’s Dodi Lukébakio who became the Bundesliga’s joint-second highest scoring Belgian behind only Thorgan Hazard with his 33rd strike last time out.
Hot stat: Hertha have scored seven of their nine away league goals this season beyond half-time.