German Bundesliga
2010-04-03 - Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Commerzbank-Arena
Saturday, 03rd April 2010 – kickoff 15:30
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt are playing a very good football this season and they fit in very well in the role of ‘underdogs’ this season. They still keep their European hopes alive as they are placed eighth at the table with 41 points.
Last weekend they won 2-1 away against Vfl Bochum and will look to surprise the title contenders Bayer Leverkusen at their home ground. Prior the away win against Vfl Bochum, they also beat the giants Bayern Munich at home which shows that this team is highly motivated when playing against the top Bundesliga teams.
The team is full of confidence and coach Michael Skibbe with the achievements this season as they already surpassed their target for this season.
The team line up will be the same that was on the pitch last weekend but with more defensive duties. The Brazilian International Caio will have to help in the midfield as well although he is the second striker in the team besides Halil Altintop.
Coach Skibbe will have to do without the defender Aleksandar Vasoski (knee injury) and Amantidis (rehab after knee surgery).
Probable Eintracht Frankfurt line-up :
Jung, Chris, Russ, Spycher,
Schwegler, Ochs, Meier, Kohler,
Caio, Halil Altintop
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen received another set back in the pursuit of the title after their 2-0 loss against Schalke 04 in the last round. They are currently third at the table with 53 points, five points behind the leaders Schalke 04 and four points above Borussia Dortmund at the fourth place.
Bayer Leverkusen are on a bad run recently and they have won only once in the last six matches (2 draws, 3 defeats). The last two matches ended in defeats without scoring a single goal which is a bad sign for the team that started as a top championship contender.
However, good news is the return of the main striker Stefan Kiessling who is back again in the starting line up after his thigh injury. He will be partnered in the attack with Edin Derdiyok.
Renato Augusto is not available for selection in this match due to a injury (torn muscle) and Simon Rolfes is still rehabilitating after his knee surgery.
Probable Bayer Leverkusen line-up :
Schwaab, M. Friedrich, Hyypia, Castro,
Vidal, Reinartz, Barnetta, Kroos,
Kiessling , Derdiyok
The Betting Verdict
The first match between these teams ended in easy 4-0 victory for Bayer Leverkusen. In that match Bayer Leverkusen were 3-0 up after just 11 minutes of play.
The overall record between the sides is well balanced with 21 wins for Bayer Leverkusen, 18 wins for Eintracht Frankfurt and 13 matches were drawn. Interesting fact is that in all previous 52 matches between these teams there has never been a single goalless draw.
Bayer Leverkusen really need to end their negative series if they want to finish strong. Not only they have lost the first place at the Bundesliga table after being 23 straight matches undefeated, but now even their third place is in jeopardy.
Eintracht Frankfurt will play without pressure and they are very dangerous in the transition and counter attacks. Their wings are strong and fast and they have already shown great performances against the top teams.
However, with the return of Kiessling, which is a boost for the team, i think that finally Bayer Leverkusen will find a way to get an away win here which might be a turning point for the last six matches. If not, then this season will be a total failure for the team that was flying high throughout the whole season.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Eintracht Frankfurt-Bayer Leverkusen 1-2
