Bochum vs Bayer Leverkusen: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

All eyes will be on the Bundesliga this weekend as Bayer Leverkusen are on the verge of immortality as they host VfL Bochum.

Location: Vonovia Ruhrstadion

Date: 12/05/2024

Kick-Off: 6:30 PM

This season has seen one of the more astounding stories in football as Bayer Leverkusen who had never won the Bundesliga at this stage, are on the verge of potentially a first of an unbeaten treble.

Leverkusen are two results away from completing something that a Bayern Munich team has never completed domestically, as Xabi Alonso has spearheaded a brilliant campaign by the league champions. This game will be the final away game for the champions before they receive the league title on the final day.

Bayer Leverkusen travel to face a VFL Bochum side who are all but assured of their place in the Bundesliga next season. The home side is currently 14th after 32 games played this season, four points ahead of Mainz with two games yet to play. In the most recent league meeting between the two teams, Bayer Leverkusen were the comfortable winners in a resounding 4-0 win.

Bochum Team News

Michael Esser, Mohammed Tolba, Moritz-Broni Kwarteng and Niclas Thiede are all unavailable for VfL Bochum. Bernardo and Moritz Broschinski are both suspension risks.

Leverkusen Team News

Xabi Alonso should have a full team to select from for their penultimate game against Bochum. Edmond Tapsoba and Robert Andrich are the only suspension risks.

The recent history between the two sides suggests that Bayer Leverkusen will continue their surmountable quest to remain unbeaten for the remainder of the season. Bayer Leverkusen have won three out of the last five league games against VfL Bochum, drawing once and losing only once to their hosts.

The fixture has provided a 3.18 goals per match average between the two sides. In the last 20 meetings between the two teams, Leverkusen boast the superior advantage with ten wins to Bochum’s six. The four remaining games ended in stalemates between the two teams.

Bochum’s most recent victory over Bayer Leverkusen last season ended a six-game run in which the hosts failed to beat their visiting opponents. Bochum recorded an impressive 3-0 victory over the newly crowned champions last season. Goals from Phillip Forster, Kevin Stoger and former Arsenal player Takuma Asano gave the hosts the victory last season.

In competitive fixtures against one another, this has proven to be a game known for ill-discipline. In the last 13 games in the Bundesliga between the two sides, there have been six games where either side was reduced to ten men. Both teams have three players dismissed between them.

In all five of the previous meetings between the two sides, there have been clean sheets for the winning side. Interestingly, the last time both sides scored in the fixture was back in 2010 when the game finished 1-1.

Bayer Leverkusen are chasing their first win away at Bochum in three league games although they haven’t won there since 2008. Bochum’s standing in the second tier prevented Leverkusen from playing them competitively. Former Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal started for Bayer Leverkusen that day. Bochum’s home record has just been enough to almost secure their position for next season barring any miraculous collapse. The hosts have played 16 games at home this season, winning five, drawing eight and losing three times. Bochum though, have only won once in their last five home games and twice in the last five in general.

The hosts have won 31% of their home games this season, in comparison to the 13%-win rate away from home. The key statistic to their form this season is their loss rate at home, compared to their loss percentage away from home. Bochum have lost only 19% of their league games at home, compared to 63% away from home.

Bochum has recorded a moderately impressive scoring record in front of their home crowd, having scored 1.63 goals per game at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Bochum have an impressive rate of scoring at least one goal per game in every home game, they haven’t failed to score in any of their home games this season.

Defensively is where the issues do lie for the home side. Bochum has conceded 1.5 goals per home game this season and has only kept a 13% clean sheet record at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.

In their most recent home game, Bochum were 3-2 winners over Hoffenheim in a fixture that further cemented their position for next season’s Bundesliga campaign. Bochum were made to hold on for their win despite an initial impressive start to the game. The home side raced into a three-goal lead thanks to goals from Felix Passlack and a Kevin Stoger brace. Andrej Kramaric scored twice late on, as Bochum held on for the victory.

Kevin Stoger has provided the numbers for VfL Bochum this season. The Austrian midfielder leads the club’s scoring charts with seven goals in the league and he has also provided eight assists for his side. The 30-year-old has averaged a goal every 357 minutes played.

Bayer Leverkusen have a near-perfect record across their home and away fixtures in the Bundesliga this season, having only drawn on six occasions from 32 games played this season. Away from home, Leverkusen have won 13 games and drawn three from 16 games played this season. The champions have averaged 2.63 points per game this season away from the BayArena.

The newly crowned champions have shown throughout the season that they simply refuse to give in when they are seemingly beaten. In their most recent home fixture, Leverkusen fought from two goals to snatch a last-minute point against Stuttgart. The 96th-minute goal from Robert Andrich was Bayer Leverkusen’s 17th goal in all competitions that had been scored past the 89th minute.

Leverkusen’s away form has been excellent over the last five games, having won four and only drawing once. The recent away draw against Borussia Dortmund once again showcased Leverkusen’s tenacity for late drama. Leverkusen were on course to lose their first game in all competitions this season until Josip Stanisic rescued a point for the visitors at Dortmund.

In their most recent away fixture at Eintracht Frankfurt, the result was far more comprehensive for the champions. Leverkusen opened the scoring through Granit Xhaka before Hugo Ekitike equalised for Frankfurt. Further goals from Patrik Schick, Exequiel Palacios, Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Boniface ensured an emphatic victory for Xabi Alonso’s side.

In the attacking areas, Bayer Leverkusen have been brilliant away from home. Leverkusen have averaged 2.31 goals scored per game and there hasn’t been a single game where the champions have failed to score in. Defensively, they’ve only conceded 0.81 goals per game and 44% of their away games have resulted in clean sheets for Xabi Alonso’s side.

There will be speculation surrounding the future of Florian Wirtz this summer as the German midfielder has emerged as one of the brightest talents in World Football under Xabi Alonso this season. Wirtz has 22 goal contributions in the Bundesliga this season – an equal 11 across both the goals and assist statistics.

It would not surprise to see Bayer Leverkusen make this game dramatic as they have done with games this season. We predict Bochum to score but Leverkusen to win 3-1. Bochum 1-3 Leverkusen.

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The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football and the OneFootball app.

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