Bundesliga: Leverkusen Will Not Let Up Against Mainz

Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz

Bayer Leverkusen can easily rest on their laurels after coming off an eventful week here in the Bundesliga, but Xabi Alonso and co. are doing just the opposite when they host Mainz at the BayArena on Friday.

Die Werkself extended their table lead to eight points when they secured one of the best Bundesliga 2024 results this season, a 3-0 win against the defending champions Bayern Munich, followed by a 2-1 win over Heidenheim.

Mainz, on the other hand, are fighting for their lives here in the German top-flight. The 05ers are fresh from a rare victory last time out, a 1-0 result over Augsburg, so they’re currently in seventh place with 15 points, and an improbable road victory against Die Werkself would surely boost their confidence.

Talking Points

Bayer Leverkusen on the verge of setting new record

With the wins against Bayern Munich and Heidenheim last week, Bayer Leverkusen are now undefeated in 32 competitive games this season, equaling the record set by the Bayern Munich squad of Hansi Flick across 2019-20 and 2020-21.

And with 58 points after 22 matchdays, Bayer Leverkusen have made the third-best start to a season of any Bundesliga club in history. In fact, they already have more points than they had at the end of last term (50).

Bayer Leverkusen have depth all over the pitch, which is why they’re in this position. Even if they had games where they didn’t have a full squad, the others have stepped up well when called upon.

One example of this is when Patrik Schick and Amine Adli have filled in for the injured Victor Boniface, who is, by the way, their top scorer with 14 goals across all competitions. And adding someone like Borja Iglesias via loan during the winter transfer window certainly helps too, even if he has yet to open his account.

Their speedy wing-backs have chipped in goals as well, as Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong have combined for 18 goals and 15 assists this season. Frimpong has scored two goals in his last two appearances.

And then there’s Florian Wirtz, who is having a resurgent campaign after dealing with injuries last season. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder is the team’s best playmaker, with seven goals and 13 assists this term.

Mainz got the new manager bounce

Bo Henriksen’s Mainz stint is off to a winning start, and the hope is that he’ll be the guy to save them from relegation at the end of this season.

The 49-year-old Dane, who previously managed Brønshøj, Horsens, Midtjylland, and FC Zurich, replaced Jan Siewert, who won just one of his 12 matches at the helm.

Since the start of 2024, Mainz have only scored four goals in six games while conceding eight on the other end, and that has to change soon for them to keep their top-flight status.

Ludovic Ajorque, Lee Jae-Sung, Leandro Barreiro, Anthony Caci, and Sepp van den Berg are the team’s joint-leading scorers, with two goals each, and we’re particularly looking at Ajorque and Lee to look to assert themselves in the final third this weekend.

History

Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz already faced off last September, with the former winning via a 3-0 scoreline, as they benefited from the scores of Sepp van den Berg (own goal), Alex Grimaldo, and Jonas Hofmann.

However, Mainz won their last Bundesliga away match against Bayer Leverkusen prior to that (3-2 in February 2023), which was one of only three home defeats for Die Werkself in the league under Xabi Alonso and one of only two away wins for the 05ers in the league since the end of October 2022.

With the victory against Augsburg last week, Mainz finally ended their 11-game winless run in the Bundesliga. However, Bo Henriksen’s men are still winless away from home this season (D8, L7).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Bundesliga 2024 odds are favouring Bayer Leverkusen to extend their unbeaten run, thus setting a new record on Friday. Die Werkself are priced at 1.20 to win, whereas Mainz are 10.00 underdogs, and a draw is at 5.80 in the 1X2 market.

Because Bayer Leverkusen have been prolific in the final third, alternative bets like Over 3.25 at 2.21 and Total Goals 4-6 at 2.61 are worth considering too, with the table leaders scoring the majority of the goals.

Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of Bayer Leverkusen – the result of their reverse fixture – is being offered at a decent amount of 6.80.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.