Round 17 of the Bundesliga will come to a close as two teams from the middle of the standings fight for three points. This fixture will feature the game between hosts Bayer 04 Leverkusen (6-3-7) and the visiting Vfl Bochum (5-1-10). It’s time to continue our Bundesliga odds series with a Leverkusen-Bochum prediction and pick.
The Blacks and Reds are on a four-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga and will enter this game fresh off of a victory over Borussia Monchengladbach thanks to goals from Mitchell Bakker, Amine Adli, and Nadiem Amiri. Their recent match-ups were in the 2021-2022 season, where Leverkusen snatched a 1-0 win and a scoreless draw.
Bochum enters the match acquiring 16 points from their opening 16 matches. The Blues look to gain momentum, having earned a 3-1 victory over Hertha BSC. The visiting team sits at the 15th spot of the table and hopes to get rejuvenated by sealing its second win of the year and sixth victory of the season.
Here are the Leverkusen-Bochum soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Bundesliga Odds: Leverkusen-Bochum Odds
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: -240
Vfl Bochum: +600
Draw: +370
Over 2.5 Goals: -156
Under 2.5 Goals: +128
How to Watch Leverkusen vs. Bochum
TV: N/A
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Leverkusen Can Beat Bochum
Xabi Alonso's side is currently ninth in the Bundesliga standings, with 21 points obtained from six wins, three draws, and seven defeats. Leverkusen is only five points away from 15th seed Bochum, which shows a competitive climb in the middle ranks of the Bundesliga table. A win for Leverkusen here may propel them to eighth place, which is good enough to catch up to the top four spots of the Bundesliga to secure a desired spot for next season's Champions League.
Leverkusen owns a 3-2-3 record at home, but the club has found good success in its football run. Since November, across games in the Bundesliga, ChampionsLeague, and club-friendly games, their sole loss was a 3-0 match in a friendly game versus Rangers. In those series of games, Leverkusen has notched eight victories, including four straight wins in the Bundesliga. They opened this year with a 3-2 high-scoring affair against Monchengladbach.
Leverkusen will be missing midfielder Charles Aranguiz, who started in four of the 10 games he played and helped in fielding in a goal versus Augsburg. Patrik Schick will also be out in this game, a key figure up top.
Die Werkself's offense might be jumpstarted by Moussa Diaby, Amine Adli, and Florian Wirtz. The Black and Reds usually have four midfielders, so Jeremie Frimpong, Robert Andrich, Exequiel Palacios, and Mitchel Bakker will also accompany the offensive tactics of the aforementioned forwards. 28 goals and 21 assists seem to be decent numbers for this squad, but they should look to improve their 11.9 total shots and 3.8 corners per game.
Why Bochum Can Beat Leverkusen
Since the start of the season, Bochum has not found continuous success. They opened the 2022-2023 season with six straight defeats, but are gradually climbing up the ladders, as they have picked up three wins. They currently face a relegation scare as they are only ahead of Augsburg, Hertha, and Schalke 04 by a few points.
Bochum is yet to secure its win against Leverkusen. Thir recent victory came in a 2017 friendly game, where they fielded two goals from Joannes Wurtz and Baris Ekincier. In the Bundesliga, their last victory in this head-to-head match-up was way back in 2008.
Bochum has also suffered a huge disparity in its offense and defense. They have found the back of the net only 17 times and have conceded 37 goals. They possess the ball at a 45.8% rate and their passing accuracy sits at 70.5%. The Blues conceded 2.3 goals per game.
Thomas Letsch's side should look to increase their game averages of 11.2 total shots, 4.2 corners, and 44.7 accurate long-ball passing rates. More work is expected from forwards Philipp Hofmann, Simon Zoller, and Christopher Antwi-Adjei, who combined for 11 goals for the team. Philipp Forster is the leading chance-maker of the team, who has produced four assists so far.
If Bochum keeps faith with its 4-3-3 formation, Danilo Soares, Keven Schlotterbeck, Ivan Ordets, and Saidy Janko should be locked in and provide Bochum the defensive wall it aspires. Injuries to Paul Grave and Christian Gamboa might be a big blow for Bochum, but the club will surely be motivated to earn its second win of 2023.
Final Leverkusen-Bochum Prediction & Pick
Bochum may manage to squeak in a goal in this game, but their offensive prowess has been so lackadaisical that an upset win from them is highly unlikely. Dating back to their previous fixtures, Leverkusen has always been ahead of them, and that trend should continue in this game.
The Black and Reds have been looking like they are back on their winning ways, and with the Bay Arena crowd cheering in their favor, Die Werkself might be able to pull the win here.
Final Leverkusen-Bochum Prediction & Pick: Leverkusen (-240)
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