Bayer Leverkusen – Heidenheim : Preview & Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen came away from their last Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich with a valuable point that sees them remain top of the standings going into matchday five. Encouragingly for coach Xabi Alonso, eight of his players have now found the back of the net this season in the German top flight – the best figure among the clubs in the competition.
After a convincing 4-0 win over Häcken on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League, Alonso spoke of having “a large squad ready for three competitions” and that he was “happy with all the players who have not started recently”. The Spaniard’s confidence with the depth of his squad is well justified, with five of Leverkusen’s goals having been scored by substitutes so far in the campaign.
Sunday’s visitors Heidenheim picked up their first ever Bundesliga win in style last weekend, beating Werder Bremen 4-2. It was an ideal way to frame the record-breaking tenure of coach Frank Schmidt, who became the longest serving coach in charge of a German professional club in history, having taken over in September 2007.
Heidenheim were in the second division when they knocked Leverkusen out of the DFB-Pokal in the 2018/19 season – the only previous occasion on which the two clubs met. Don’t be surprised if they pull off another upset through much effort, as their last away appearance saw them earn an impressive draw at Signal Iduna Park against Borussia Dortmund after trailing 2-0 in the first 15 minutes of play.
Players to watch: After contributing in just half an hour of play by scoring Leverkusen’s fourth goal in the thrashing against Häcken, Jonas Hofmann could be given the chance to show what he can do in the starting XI. Tim Kleindienst was the star of the show for Heidenheim against Bremen (one goal, two assists), with his latest goal taking his numbers in all competitions this campaign to four goals, three of which were registered in the first 15 minutes of play.
Key stat: At least two goals have been registered in each half in Leverkusen’s last four home games.
Bayer Leverkusen – Heidenheim : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 1.85
