Bay Arena Will be Like a Pressure Cooker
The Bundesliga title race is a matter of two. However, that doesn’t mean that the other 18 teams don’t have anything to fight for. In fact, Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin are two very good examples.
Leverkusen is fighting to finish in the top four. That would allow them to return to the UEFA Champions League after missing the last two editions. On the other hand, Berlin is fighting to get out of the relegation zone.
As expected, the home side dominates the Soccer odds but watch out, the visitors just pulled off an upset.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Bundesliga odds for Leverkusen vs Hertha. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Bayer Leverkusen Can’t Slow Down
Bayer Leverkusen has had an incredible season, but the job isn’t done.
Regarding the Bundesliga, Leverkusen is sitting in third place with 48 points. There are only four points between them and sixth place. Keep in mind that only the top four qualify for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. For Leverkusen that would be like winning the title.
Prior to the international break, Leverkusen visited Wolfsburg and won 2-0. It seems like it was an easy game, but no, quite the contrary. Paulinho opened the can with only four minutes left on the clock. He scored again six minutes later to seal the deal. Wolfsburg is sitting in thirteenth place, only five points ahead of Hertha Berlin.
Patrick Schick, the team’s top scorer with 20 goals, is expected to return after missing some time due to injury. He didn’t attend the Czech Republic’s call for the World Cup Qualifiers to complete his recovery.
With Schick coming back, Leverkusen at -1½ (+115) makes even more sense. There’s also the fact that they scored two or more goals in six of their last seven home games. They aim to bounce back after losing the last one 1-0 to Koln.
Hertha Berlin Struggling
Hertha Berlin is a historic Bundesliga club. No, they’ve never been among the betting online favorites to win the title, but they’ve always put up a good fight.
Until this season, of course, in which they’ve been struggling more than expected. Enough to be sitting in sixteenth place with 26 points. The good news is that Stuttgart and Augsburg also have 26 points. That means Berlin is one victory away from getting out of the relegation zone.
The visitors are offering a +675 price in the sportsbook Remember, they just pulled off an upset under similar circumstances. Prior to the international break, Berlin defeated Hoffenheim, the team sitting in sixth place, 3-0. Berlin was offering a +250 price.
Berlin’s top scorer is also expected to return. We’re talking about Stevan Jovetic, who has scored six goals. If not, Marco Richter will lead the way. He follows Jovetic in the scoring chart with five goals.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 36
- Bayer Leverkusen Victories: 31 (104 goals)
- Hertha Berlin Victories: 4 (20 goals)
- Draws: 1
The first meeting between the two ended 1-1. Stevan Jovetic scored for Hertha Berlin right before the end of the first half. Curiously enough, Robert Andrich did the same for Bayer Leverkusen right before the end of the second half.
Berlin owns a 5-2-3 record in its last 10 meetings with Leverkusen. Plus, if there’s something you can expect from these two, it’s goals. During that span, both averaged 1.5 goals per game.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Game Information
- Date: Saturday, April 2
- Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
- Location: BayArena, Leverkusen
- Leverkusen vs Hertha Live Stream: fuboTV
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Betting Lines
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha Berlin Prediction
After being eliminated from the UEFA Europa League, Bayer Leverkusen has nothing more to worry about than finishing in the top four of the Bundesliga.
Plus, they haven’t lost two home games in a row since October. Finally, Schick coming back is an extra dose of motivation for the entire team, especially the attacking unit, which recently lost Amine Adli for the remainder of the season due to injury.
Leverkusen will return to the winning column while putting up a show. Enough for the team total to go over, precisely my Football predictions for this crucial contest.
Score Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 3, Hertha Berlin 1
