Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction: GERMANY: DFB Pokal betting tips on match 2024-05-24 18:00.
[p]Almost nobody will give second-tier Kaiserslautern a chance ahead of this surprise DFB-Pokal final against unbeaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, which is probably fair given that no second-tier team has won this cup since Hannover in 1991/92. It’s also difficult to make a case for a Kaiserslautern as despite winning three of their last four games, they finished just seven points above the 2.Bundesliga relegation zone. [/p]
[p]Despite their league woes, Kaiserslautern’s journey to their first DFB-Pokal final since losing 3-1 to Bayern in 2002/03 has been eye-catching as they have eliminated the then-top flight club Cologne. Boss Friedhelm Funkel also boasts plenty of personal experience against Leverkusen, as this will be his 35th touchline meeting against the German champions (W6, D8, L20), meaning the 70-year-old veteran will have then faced no opponent more often. [/p]
[p]After winning the Meisterschale for the first time in club history before finally falling to defeat in the Europa League final during the week, this is it for Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who can still cement arguably the greatest feat in German football history by securing an unbeaten domestic double here. They have achieved this by putting together a run of 51 competitive games without defeat ahead of their 3-0 loss to Atalanta, with their record in domestic action during that year-long run standing at an incredible W33, D6. [/p]
[p]If Leverkusen’s run to their first DFB-Pokal final since 2019/20 is indicative of the match flow here, then expect an absolute rout. In all five games on the way here, Alonso’s men scored at least three goals, while three of their five victories in this competition also came with three-goal margins, something which wouldn’t surprise many here given their short odds to add to their collection of domestic trophies for the season. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Richmond Tachie could yet claim the DFB-Pokal top-scorer accolade if he can build on his three-goal haul with a brace here, although the former Dortmund man scored exactly once in all six of his scoring appearances for Kaiserslautern. The man he’s trying to catch is Leverkusen’s Amine Adli (DFB: G5, A3), who enters this having also made goal contributions in his last three domestic appearances (G2, A1). [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Leverkusen scored exactly two goals before half-time in each of their last three domestic matches. [/p]