German Bundesliga
2010-03-14 - Bayer Leverkusen vs Hamburger SV
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Bay Arena
Sunday, 14th March 2010 – kickoff 17:30
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have been very unfortunate in the last couple of weeks and after their record-setting run of 24 matches straight being undefeated, with two draws and a loss last week against Nurnberg they have dropped to the third place. Now they must act and recover quickly in order to keep pace with Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 who are three and one point above them, respectively.
They will face one of the toughest opponents in the league that also fights for a Champions league spot and that are seven points behind them at the table.
Interesting fact is that Bayer Leverkusen have not won against Hamburger SV in the last seven matches – they have three draws and four defeats.
Coach Jupp Heynckes can not count on two very important players and regular starters in the team- midfielders Toni Kroos and Stefan Reinartz who both picked up their fifth yellow cards last week and have to sit out this match. Also Simon Rolfes is unavailable through injury and out of competition for few weeks. Thomas Zdebel got himself injured at training (knee problem) and also will not be able to help his teammates.
Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV showed a strong performance in the Europa league against Anderlecht and won 3-1 which makes them one of the favorites in this competition. Now the focus shifts back in the Bundesliga where they will meet the championship contenders against whom they have a positive record.
Last week they won 1-0 against Hertha Berlin harder than expected, but recently several players got back in the squad so the team will be much stronger for the remainder of the season.
Coach Bruno Labbadia is satisfied with the form of Ruud van Nistelrooy who had played from the start against Anderlecht and also scored. His partner in the attack for this match will be Mladen Petric.
Good news for the team is the return of the striker Paolo Guerrero who has been out of the squad since last October. He is still working individually but is expected soon to be part of the team and to play in the following weeks. The midfielder Rincon is out of the squad due his fifth yellow card suspension.
The Betting Verdict
Both teams are in the top of the table and will take this match with more caution in order to get a good result. Bayer Leverkusen had seven days to prepare for this match, unlike Hamburger SV who have played a match in the Europa league.
Bayer Leverkusen have been in decline in the recent matches and the league`s top scorer Stefan Kiessling have failed to score the whole last month. Last week they were really destroyed against the bottom side of FC Nurnberg where they have even been three goals down and will surely look to make up for their loss.
Hamburger plays much better in the second part of the season and with the arrival of van Nistelrooy their attack got boosted even more.
The tradition is on Hamburger SV side and having on mind the recent slump of Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburger`s good form i think that a draw is possible which will damage even more Bayer Leverkusen`s chances for the title.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Bayer Leverkusen-Hamburger SV 1-1
