Matchday 20 of the Bundesliga between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim will take place on February 2 at the BayArena in Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen ended their eight-match winning streak in the Bundesliga by drawing 2-2 with Leipzig in the previous round. Notably, Xabi Alonso's side has now dropped points six times this season after taking the lead (5 draws, 1 loss). In the standings, the team remains Bayern Munich's closest challenger, but the gap to the leaders has widened to six points.
Midfielder Robert Andrich will miss the match due to suspension.
- Both teams scored in 8 of Bayer Leverkusen's last 10 Bundesliga matches.
- The club is unbeaten in their last 9 home matches in the tournament (7 wins, 2 draws).
- Leverkusen has scored at least two goals in 15 of their last 17 home league matches.
Predicted lineup for Bayer Leverkusen (4-4-2)
Lukáš Hrádecký – Piero Hincapié, Edmond Tapsoba, Nordi Mukiele, Jonathan Tah – Arthur, Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrich, Aleix García – Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim avoided defeat in the last minute against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-2) in the previous round. Christian Ilzer's side has only one win in their last 8 league matches (3 draws, 4 losses) and has failed to keep a clean sheet during this period. Hoffenheim remains in 15th place in the standings but has increased their gap from the relegation zone to 4 points.
- Hoffenheim scored in 5 of their last 7 Bundesliga matches.
- No more than two goals were scored in 5 of their last 7 away league matches.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 5 of Hoffenheim's last 7 matches in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Hoffenheim (4-5-1)
Luca Philipp – David Jurásek, Arthur Chaves, Kevin Akpoguma, Valentin Gendrey – Andrej Kramarić, Adam Hložek, Anton Stach, Tom Bischof, Finn Ole Becker – Max Mörstedt.
Match Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim
Leverkusen narrowly missed out on victory in the last round, but their opponent was not the easiest. Against less formidable teams, Bayer usually has no issues. At home, the club has won their last five league matches, with only one of those games featuring less than three goals. Leverkusen's attack is in great shape: they are the second-highest scorers in the league and third in xG.
Hoffenheim continues to struggle with squad issues. Christian Ilzer mentioned at the pre-match press conference for the Europa League that 13 players are injured. With such significant personnel losses, it will be challenging to put up a strong resistance against the champions. Even at their best, Hoffenheim lost all four previous Bundesliga meetings with Leverkusen, each featuring at least three goals. The upcoming clash is likely to be high-scoring as well, given the defensive vulnerabilities of both sides.
My prediction: Home win and total over 2.5 goals
