Bundesliga: Another Big Test for Bayer

Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig

Reeling from their recent loss against Juventus in the Champions League, Peter Bosz will try to pick up the pieces as they host RB Leipzig in the seventh matchday of the Bundesliga.

Save for their loss against Borussia Dortmund, Bayer are on a two-game winning streak after posting impressive clean sheets against Union Berlin and Augsburg.

The home team is tied with the likes of SC Freiburg, Schalke 04, Borussia Monchengladbach, and even RB Leipzig at 13 points – only trailing by one behind defending champions Bayern Munich.

On the other hand, the Red Bulls are looking to bounce back after losses in their match against Schalke and Lyon in the Champions League as they try to gain the upper hand anew since their strong start to the 2019/20 season.

The winner of this match will share the top spot with Bayern Munich or will be seating pretty at second place with some advantage in terms of points.

Today, SBOBET offers you a quick preview on this match ahead on Saturday.

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Bundesliga

Talking Points

Bayer’s steady improvement

Even with a slow start in the ongoing Champions League, there are still a lot of positives to look at their campaign for this year so far.

For one, their attacking is showing a lot of promise, particularly in their wins against their lowly opponents where they have compiled 11 goals in four matches. The quintet of Kevin Volland, Kai Havertz, Leon Bailey, Karim Bellarabi, and Kerem Demirbay have been lethal for Peter Bosz as they’ve found the net several times already and their chemistry has been improving by the day.

Speaking of Havertz, the 20-year-old continues to shine for Bayer. Besides his increasing goal count, the Aachen-born striker has shown excellent leadership and quality and there’s no doubt that he’ll be the focal point of their offence for seasons to come.

Their defence is no slouch too actually. Save for their disappointing loss against Borussia Dortmund, they have posted clean sheets against their last two Bundesliga opponents. Lukas Hradecky continues to be a fine goalkeeper while Sven Bender has been holding down the fort at the backline.

Perhaps the only thing that may be an issue for Peter Bosz’s squad is the team’s depth. They may have a formidable starting XI on paper, but their bench lacks enough quality to withstand the grind of a long season. Peter Bosz would have to pray fervently that none of his top guys gets injured so that their good campaign will continue.

RB Leipzig showing some inexperience

The Red Bulls are on a roll-up until their recent losses against Schalke and Lyon. However, there’s no reason to push the panic button just yet since they are only behind at the top spot of the Bundesliga table by a solitary point.

The attacking trio of Marcel Sabitzer, Timo Werner, and Yussuf Poulsen has continued to produce some of this term’s best Bundesliga 2019 highlights as they’ve netted eight of the team’s 14 league goals.

Timo Werner has now 5 goals in Bundesliga 2019-20 season — RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner in action during the Champions League match against Benfica

Dubbed as title challengers against Bayern Munich, the team is now experiencing some bumps on the road, and that can be owed to their accumulation of too many individual mistakes and mishaps on defence.

In their game against Lyon, RB Leipzig defenders Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konte were often caught out of position in their three-man defence opening multiple opportunities for their French counterparts.

One of the perfect examples of that is when Nordi Mukiele mishandled the ball after a long ball that allowed Martin Terrier to kick in a goal that would decide the match in the 65^th minute. It didn’t help that Timo Werner failed to capitalise on his chances earlier in that match as well.

Is it a question of experience or lack thereof? Maybe, since the Red Bulls have an average age of 22.7 years old. However, Julian Nagelsmann shrugs off that idea and he believes that it’s their efficiency that needs work more than anything.

“I don’t think it is a question of being effective but rather being efficient. I watched Bayern against Tottenham last night, and older players also made plenty of individual mistakes on that game,” Nagelsmann mentioned.

History

Overall, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig have figured in six matches where the former has only won once and the latter won in four along with one draw between them.

It’s clear that the target man for RB Leipzig’s defence will be Kay Havertz as he’s scored three career Bundesliga goals against them.

Other than Havertz, it can be noted that Kevin Volland has been involved in the most number of goals so far in this calendar year with 20. Timo Werner is currently second with 15.

Betting Tip

	Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig	RB Leipzig Asian Handicap +0.25 @1.82
	October 05, 21:30 (GMT+8)

As per Bundesliga 2019 odds, Bayer Leverkusen are at 2.35 and RB Leipzig are pegged at 2.74, indicating a close match ahead. Chances for a draw are a bit lower at 3.55.

In this game, however, I would have to follow my gut and bet on RB Leipzig here as I’m expecting a more inspired and determined effort from Julian Nagelsmann’s boys. Plus, their attacking trio will surely give Bayer’s defence fits for sure.

It’s exciting to see some of the best young stars in the Bundesliga go at it in this game and fans over at the Bay Arena are in for a huge treat!