Bochum vs RB Leipzig prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2025-01-17 14:30.
[p]Bochum’s hard-fought 1-0 home win in midweek has dragged them closer to the dotted line of survival, albeit they remain rock bottom on just nine points. That return means that the Blues are one of only 11 sides in the 21st century with a single-digit Bundesliga points tally after 17 rounds, although hope may stem from the fact that seven of those points have arrived in the last four matchdays (W2, D1, L1). [/p]
[p]Playing consecutive home games should buoy Bochum, who have lost just one of their last four matches at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, which should provide some much-needed confidence given boss Dieter Hecking’s poor personal record against RB Leipzig (W1, D1, L5). The Undescendables may be brought back down to earth though by the fact that seven of their eight points on their own patch this season have come against current bottom-five clubs, with their return against current top-11 sides in 2024/25 here reading: D1, L4. [/p]
[p]After losing 2-1 at Stuttgart on Wednesday and having their top two scorers this term, Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško, sent off in the process, RB Leipzig will now look to solidify their top-four place with what would be a fifth victory in six away H2Hs (W4, L1). One thing that’s almost guaranteed when the Red Bulls play is entertainment, having last failed to score in November, with six of the eight games since then seeing both teams score and more than 2.5 total goals.[/p]
[p]Visiting manager Marco Rose has every reason to feel confident, having avoided defeat in four of his five personal H2Hs since making the switch to RB Leipzig (W3, D1, L1). Despite his men often struggling to keep clean sheets against better opposition, they have a much better record against the bottom eight this season (W4, D3, L1), conceding in only one game. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Philipp Hofmann scored his first goal since November to secure Bochum’s midweek victory, which also ended a run of four straight club goals that came on the road. RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons may have to step up in Openda and Šeško’s absence, but the Dutchman is capable of that, netting twice earlier this month and registering an assist in this fixture last season.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Bochum are averaging a league-low 1.33 points per game when scoring the opener this term (W2, D2, L2). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]