Here we have prepared for you the two-match analysis of the upcoming German Bundesliga week 5 matchups that will take place during this midweek in Berlin and Freiburg between home teams and their opponents from Leverkusen and Hannover.
The final double-header of the round 5 German Bundesliga features the matchups that fit our overall prediction for this round as a low-scoring one. The first game will take place Olympic Stadium in German capital between Hertha team that is coming off from a 1:1 road draw at Sinsheim and Bayer Leverkusen who finally put a performance that made their fans very happy with a 4:0 home win over SC Freiburg. The second matchup will feature aforementioned SC Freiburg and the biggest surprise in German soccer this season, the newly promoted Hannover 96 who is still undefeated.
“Feeding the piggy bank time” is on the menu so let’s take a closer look.
Hertha BSC vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Three-Way: 1: Hertha BSC +229; X: +254 Draw; 2: Bayer Leverkusen +142
Spread +0.5: Hertha BSC -105; Bayer Leverkusen +136
Total +2.5: Over -109; Under +102
HERTHA BSC
After the initial season opening 2:0 win over Stuttgart, the Hertha team is winless so far with two 1:1 draws (Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim) and a 2:0 loss at Westfallen against Dortmund in round 2. They are currently ranked at No. 11 spot in the Bundesliga with five points earned and 4-4 goal difference.
The UEFA Europa League group stage play started peacefully last week as they recorded a 0:0 draw at home against Spanish side Athletic Bilbao. M. Leckie is the team’s leading scorer so far with three goals in his account. He is also the only player that managed to score a goal at home. Hertha’s only away goal was the deed of A. Esswein last weekend.
Jonathan Klinsmann (ankle) should be back in a few weeks while Julius Kade (muscle) and Davie Selke (toe) are listed as day to day. Dennis Smarsch’s (cruciate ligament) status is unknown while Valentino Lazaro (ankle) and Julian Schieber (knee) are both back in training.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN
The Bayer Leverkusen team finally staged an outstanding performance last week as they managed to torpedo the SC Freiburg at home, 4:0. The squad that featured the biggest number of over 3.5 goals in total matchups so far (all four) dominated the entire 90 minutes and the result is obvious. The team currently ranks at No. 12 spot in the Bundesliga with four points earned and a 1-1-2 record. Their goal difference is 8-8 (2-6 on the road) and Kevin Volland leads the team’s scoring caravan with two goals in his account so far. Six more Leverkusen’s players managed to get themselves on the scoreboard (A. Mehmedi, B. Wendell, K. Bellarabi, K. Dominik, C. Aranguiz and J. Brandt).
Hopefully, the team will use this great performance in last round as a foundation for gaining the momentum in order to get in to the top part of the league table.
Jonathan Tah (muscle) is doubtful for Sunday while Julian Baungartlinger (virus) and Panagiotis Takis Retsos (knee) are both back in training and should be in circulation for Wednesday’s showdown.
Hertha BSC vs. Bayer Leverkusen – Match Prediction
A high-scoring trend of the matchups that feature Bayer Leverkusen must come to an end once and there is no better place for this to happen than against tough and low-scoring opponent like Hertha. When it comes to the final result, a draw looks like a no-brainer.
My pick: Under 2.5 goals (+102)
Additional pick: Draw (+254)
SC Freiburg vs. Hannover 96
Three-Way: 1: SC Freiburg +200; X: +235 Draw; 2: Hannover 96 +179
Spread 0: SC Freiburg +110; Hannover 96 -111
Total +2.5: Over +127; Under -132
SC FREIBURG
The SC Freiburg team has not yet recorded a win in this Bundesliga season and there is a good chance of that not happening after the next round. They also haven’t managed to score a goal at home yet but on the other side, they haven’t conceded one yet (o-o home goal difference after two matches). Two losses occurred on the road as they got outplayed and outscored against RR Leipzig (4:1) and Bayer Leverkusen (4:0).
The team is currently ranked just below the relegation line at No. 16 spot in the Bundesliga table with only two points earned. Lone goal scorer for the team is Florian Niedelechner. A No. 7 spot from the end of the last season looks very far away now and the team from Schwarzwald region will have to improve their performances greatly, especially at home, if they want to avoid the battle for the survival this season.
Yoric Ravet is suspended for three matches while Marc-Oliver Kempf (muscle) should be available in about a month. Manuel Gulde’s (back) timetable for return is set at early October while Vincent Sierro’s (muscle) and Jonas Meffert’s (foot) status is unknown. Nils Petersen (hip) is listed as day to day while Georg Niedermeier (back) is back in training. Amir Abrashi (ankle) should be back in mid-October while Robin Koch (cold) is listed as doubtful for Wednesday.
HANNOVER 96
The Hannover 96 performances this year resemble greatly on last season’s RB Leipzig team. It looks like every season in German Bundesliga features one newly promoted team that gets to fight for the top of the league table and two newly promoted teams that get eliminated from the competition. Hopefully, for Stuttgart, that will not be the case this year.
The Hannover 96 team is currently undefeated in the Bundesliga with three wins (1:0 on the road against FSV Mainz and at home against Schalke 04 and 2:0 at home against Hamburger SV last weekend). The only draw came at Wolfsburg in week 3 (1:1). This stellar performance at the beginning of the season is enough for No. 2 spot in the league table with the same amount of points as leader Dortmund (10) but worse goal difference (5-1 opposed to 10-0 by Dortmund). Team’s leading scorer is Martin Harnik with three goals scored so far while I. Bebou and Jonathas have one each in their accounts.
Edgar Prib (cruciate ligament) will be out for a longer period of time and his return is expected in mid-February next year. Sebastian Maier’s (thigh), Manuel Schmiedbach’s (thigh), Pirmin Schwegler’s (knee), Miiko Albornoz’s (thigh) and Noah-Joel Sarenren-Baze’s (thigh) status is unknown while Uffe Bech (knee) is listed as day to day and he might be ready for Wednesday. Felipe (groin) and Jonathas (thigh) are also uncertain for the next match.
SC Freiburg vs. Hannover 96 – Match Prediction
The visitors are clearly in a better form right now and it will be no surprise if they come up with the full prey here. Still, Freiburg team has the home field advantage and that should count for something. Also, I think that it’s about time for them to score at least one goal at home and that is why I will go here with both teams score because I don’t think that hosts can come up with a win.
My pick: Both teams score YES (-114)
