Second placed RB Leipzig look to keep the pressure up on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich but face a tough trip to Leverkusen, to take on a team unbeaten at home all season. Leverkusen are currently in ninth place, just four points off the top three. They are on a run of six league matches unbeaten, winning three and drawing three, which sees them sitting in third place in the form table. Their main strength is scoring goals, with twenty-three scored in their eleven games. They are also one of just two teams, along with Hoffenheim, who have netted in every one of their league games this season. At home, they have picked up three wins and two draws in a run of five unbeaten games. Recent League Form – DWWDDW.
German Bundesliga – BayArena, Leverkusen – Saturday 18th November – 14:30 UK Time
Bayer LeverkusenBest Odd of: 23/20 at William Hill |
Draw Best Odd of: 13/5 at PaddyPower |
RB LeipzigBest Odd of: 23/10 at Ladbrokes |
RB Leipzig
Leipzig sit just four points off the top of the Bundesliga table, but have several teams putting pressure on behind them. At home, they have been brilliant in winning four and drawing one to remain unbeaten. However, their away form has left a lot to be desired at times and is the reason they are not atop the league table. They have suffered three defeats from six on their travels, including at leaders Bayern at the end of last month. Although they are establishing themselves as one of the top teams in German football, they must improve their away form if they are to knock Bayern off the top of the tree. Recent League Form – WLWWWW.
Head to Head
These sides have only met twice before, with both meetings coming last season. An extremely entertaining match in November 2016 saw Leverkusen lead twice and miss a penalty before Leipzig hit back to pick up a 3-2 away victory. The return fixture was just as dramatic, with Leipzig having a player sent off two minutes from full time before hitting a 93rd minute goal to win 1-0. So, Leipzig hold a 2-0 head to head advantage over Leverkusen heading in to this match.
Betting Odds and Predictions
This is a tough match to call, with Leverkusen being extremely strong at home and Leipzig being the stronger team on paper. The betting odds reflect how tough a call it is, with the hosts a narrow betting favourite. Leverkusen are priced at 23/20 with William Hill, with Leipzig priced at 23/10, and the draw at odds of 13/5.
We can only assume Leverkusen are the favourites due to their unbeaten home run and Leipzig losing 50% of their away matches. Because of Leipzig struggling at times away from home, we agree with these odds and think the home side do have more chance of picking up the win. However, we cannot separate the teams and would predict a draw if we had to make a selection.
So, with that in mind, betting on Leverkusen or Draw in the Double Chance market would be our recommendation, at odds of 1/3. Leverkusen have netted in every one of their league matches this season, and Leipzig have kept just two clean sheets, so it’s safe to assume the home team will find the net here. They are priced at 1/8 to score 1+ goals, so not much value in betting on this though. The hosts have themselves also only kept two clean sheets, so it’s highly likely the visitors will find the net too. Therefore, Both Teams to Score looks a certainty at odds of 4/9.
Top Betting Tip
As already said, we cannot really pick a winner here but are 99% sure that both teams will find the net. So, Both Teams to Score is our top betting tip for this match, at odds of 4/9 with Sky Bet.