Another match-up of the final round in the German Bundesliga that will have the exceptional importance for the home team is the one that will take place in the German capital, Berlin, where Hertha will host the Bayer 04 Leverkusen, popularly known as the Factory XI.
For the white and blues the Europa League spot is at stake and they will need at least one point from this match-up to secure it.
On the other side, Leverkusen got out from the danger zone after the home draw with Koln on Saturday and will play this one with less pressure. It’s money making time, so let’s take a closer look at the match analysis.
HERTHA BSC vs. BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN
3-Way: 1: Hertha BSC +108; X: +268 Draw; Bayer 04 Leverkusen +330
Spread -0.5: Hertha BSC +110; Bayer 04 Leverkusen -111
Total +2.5: Over -115; Under +129
HERTHA BSC
The Hertha BSC team is coming off from a very important and very rare road win this season that they recorded while visiting the worst club in the German Bundesliga this season, Darmstadt FC. This was just the second away win of the season for the team from the capital, but their impeccable home record made them the top contender for one of the two spots that lead to the Europa League competition next year (No. 5 and No. 6 spot in the league table).
Team currently ranks fifth in the German Bundesliga with 49 points in 33 games after leapfrogging Freiburg last weekend but there is still a chance that they could end up seventh after the season finale. If Hertha BSC losses and Freiburg and Koln record victories in the final round, Berlin team could see the Europa League sliding out of its grasp because they will have one point less than Freiburg and same number of points as Koln but the worse goal difference than Billy Goats.
The Blue-Whites are in a subpar form recently but they should use the momentum of the big away win last Saturday that snapped the streak of nine consecutive defeats on the road. They are 3-0-5 in the last eight games including 2-0-2 at the Olympic Stadium but overall record at home is unbelievable 12-1-3 and they rank fifth in the home league table with 26-13 goal difference (41-41 overall).
Team earned 37 of 48 possible points at home and 56% of their home games had under 2.5 goals while 88% of their home matches had under 3.5 goals in total. Hertha managed to score in both halves in 31% of the matches at the home soil and they managed to concede in both halves in only 12% of those matches while both teams scored in 44% of the home games. Most common result at home is 2:0 defeat (occurred five times) while most common scores at the halftime were 1:0 lead and 0:0 (both occurred five times).
Bosnian diamond Vedad Ibisevic leads the team in scoring with 12 goals scored in the German Bundesliga, but he hasn’t scored in the last three games. Ibisevic and Solomon Kalou along with Mitchell Weiser lead the team in assists with four each while passing segment belongs to defender Sebastian Langkamp who has 1252 total passes so far. Goalkeeper Rune Jarstein (33 appearances) has 85 saves and 11 games with clean sheets.
Julian Schieber (Knee injury) is out for the season while Per Ciljan Skjelbred’s (Thigh) status is unknown. Sinan Kurt (Ankle) is listed as day to day and Fabian Lustenberger (Groin) is back in training.
BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN
A season to forget for both Bayer’s team and fans is soon coming to an end but with an unordinary sense of relief after team managed to secure the survival in the German Bundesliga with the last week’s draw against FC Koln at BayArena. The battle for survival is surely underneath the pride and expectations of the team’s fans but the reality happened to be not very comforting this year and we hope that it will be different next season. The fact that the team has only one win (against bottom ranked Darmstadt team, 0:2) in last 12 games says enough. Also, last time the team won a clash at home was three months ago on February 11th (3:0 against Eintracht Frankfurt).
Currently, team ranks 12th in the German Bundesliga table with 38 points in 33 games, three points above the relegation line but the schedule of the round makes it impossible for Leverkusen to be relegated even if they lose in Berlin on Saturday.
They are 1-4-3 in the last eight matchups and 1-1-2 in the last four games on the road. Overall record away is 5-2-9 with 20-25 goal difference (47-53 overall) and they rank eighth in the road league table with 17 of 48 possible points earned. Leverkusen scores 1.25 and concedes 1.56 goals as visitor (1.42-1.61 overall) and they are the only squad in Germany this season that conceded more goals in front of their own crowd than on the road. 56% of Leverkusen’s away games had over 2.5 goals while only 19% of their road matches had over 3.5 goals in total.
Only 6% of the visiting match-ups had over 2.5 goals at the halftime but in 69% of those games both teams scored. Leverkusen scores at least one goal in both halves in every fifth road game and they concede at least one goal in almost every third away game. Most common result on the road is 2:1 loss (occurred five times) while most common score at the halftime was 0:0 (occurred six times).
Mexican national Javier Chicharito Hernadez leads the team in scoring with 10 goals scored in the German Bundesliga, while Hakan Calhanoglu and Kevin Volland have six each in their accounts. Julain Brandt leads the team in assists with seven while Karim Bellarabi collected six so far. Passing segment belongs to midfielder Kevin Kampl who collected astonishing 1475 total passes in 30 games. Goalie Leno Bernd (33 appearances) collected 100 saves and he also has six games with clean sheets so far.
Hakan Calhanoglu is suspended until the end of the season while Lars Bender (Ankle) and Kevin Volland (Thigh) are out for the season due to injuries. Kevin Kampl’s (Ankle) status is yet unknown while Vladlen Yurchenko (Back) is day to day. Omer Toprak (Ankle) is back in training.
Hertha BSC vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Match Prediction
This could be a very peaceful match-up with not many goals scored. Leverkusen doesn’t have the result imperative while Hertha needs only one point to secure the Europa League berth. My safe bet here would be under 2.5 goals in total.
My pick: Under 2.5 goals in total (+129)
Additional Pick: Draw (+268)
