Bayer Leverkusen-Hannover 96
Bay Arena
Saturday, 24th April 2010 – kickoff 15:30

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen are continuously dropping on the Bundesliga table and this second part of the season they are like a shadow of the team that was unbeatable in the first 24 rounds and a main title contender.

Now they are placed fourth with 54 points but they can easily lose that place as well if they do not start winning in these last three rounds as they have only one point advantage over Borussia Dortmund at fifth place and four points over Vfb Stuttgart at the sixth spot.

Last week not only they have lost the match 2-1 against Vfb Stuttgart but they have also lost their first choice goalkeeper Rene Adler who broke a rib in that match and will be indefinitely out of the team. His place in the starting line up against Hannover 96 will be probably taken by the 19-year old Fabian Giefer who will make his second Bundesliga appearance.

The team have not recorded a win in the last five rounds and they only managed to get only one point from those matches, against Bayern Munich.

Tranquillo Barnetta will miss this game due to a red card suspension and will be replaced with Lars Bender in the midfield. Gonzalo Castro is injured and Daniel Schwaab is suspended until the last match of the season.

Toni Kroos and Arturo Vidal will be at the wings with offensive roles and Stefan Kiessling and Eden Derdiyok will be the two strikers in the starting line up.

Probable Bayer Leverkusen line-up :
Giefer ,
Sarpei, M. Friedrich, Hyypiä , Kadlec,
Vidal, Reinartz , L. Bender , Kroos,
Kiessling , Derdiyok

Hannover 96

Hannover 96 were humiliated in the last weeks game against Bayern Munich which they had lost 7-0. The difference in class was pretty obvious and Hannover 96 could be “satisfied” that they had conceded seven, because it could have been a double digit loss.

The team has so many problems with injured players so the coach Mirko Slomka has a tough time to put together a line up that could face Bayer Leverkusen. Amazing 12 players are out of the squad due to injuries or suspensions. The only three strikers of the team Elson, Arouna Koné and Didier Ya Konan are all out through injuries. Mikael Forssell who also played some games as a striker is out because of thigh strain.

Not only the offensive line is affected but also the defense is shattered - Leon Andreasen (leg nerve damage) and Altin Lala (knee injury) are both out and Constantin Djakpa is suspended for his fifth yellow card which he had picked up last week.

The team coach has no choice but to use Jiri Stajner and Mike Hanke as strikers up front and to use four defensively minded midfielders.

The team holds the worst defense in the league as they have already conceded massive 63 goals. However they can still find a way to stay in the Bundesliga because after Bayer Leverkusen they expect a home match against Borussia Monchengladbach and in the last round they will face their direct relegation rivals Vfl Bochum in a maybe deciding match for survival.

Probable Hannover 96 line-up :
Fromlowitz ,
Cherundolo , Eggimann , Haggui , C. Schulz ,
Schmiedebach , Pinto , Balitsch , Rausch ,
Stajner , Hanke

The Betting Verdict

The first match between these teams this season ended in a goalless draw. Bayer Leverkusen are clearly the better team that needs points immediately if they do not want to drop further at the Europa league places.

Hannover 96 are demoralized after the huge loss last week and the absence of the half of the teams players so their thoughts will be more on the remaining last two matches rather than on this encounter.

They probably won`t get underestimated although they lost heavily last week, but they have also surprisingly won against Schalke 04 couple of weeks ago.

These teams have played a total 21 matches and Bayer Leverkusen have won ten times, lost four and seven matches were drawn. In the last two encounters in Leverkusen, Bayer have kept a clean sheet against their opponents (2-0.4-0).

This match should end in a clear home victory for Bayer Leverkusen and that is the bet i recommend.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Hannover 96

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take the Home win for Bayer Leverkusen