Bayer 04 Leverkusen v VfL Bochum
LTU Arena Dusseldorf
Sunday, 8th March 2009 - Kickoff 17:00

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Have in mind that this match will be played at neutral ground due to Bay Arena reconstruction, and the whole second part of the season Bayer Leverkusen will host their opponents in Dusseldorf.

Since moving to the LTU Arena, Bayer has not picked up any points at home (2 defeats).

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Bayer currently sits at 7th place in the Bundesliga and has to get something out of this match in order to put more pressure on the teams above and to fulfill their goal for grabbing Champions League spot for next season.

The team form has not been very consistent so far. They beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday to advance in the Cup which will improve their confidence, but previously have lost 3 out of 4 matches and got closer to the mid-table.

None of the last 14 meetings between these two clubs when playing in Leverkusen has ended in a drawn – Bayer has won 10 and Bochum 4 times.

Other interesting facts are that Bayer 04 has not beaten any other team as often as VfL Bochum (23 times so far).

Bayer has a very leaky defense - Leverkusen have let in 9 goals so far in the second half of the season – more than any other club, and have not kept a clean sheet for 11 games – currently the longest run of any Bundesliga side!

Last match between these two sides was in September 2008 in Bochum and ended with 2-3 away win, after Leverkusen advantage of 0-3 with 30 minutes left, Bochum almost grabbed a point there.

Notable absences for Bayer side will be Manuel Friedrich (meniscus operation) and Schneider (training shortfall).

Vfl Bochum

Bochum has 3 draws and 2 losses in last 5 games and sits 14th, outside of relegation places but are not safe at all.

This game is also important for Bochum in order to climb up the table, and it is obvious that the team has improved during the last couple of weeks and I think that they will manage to avoid relegation with few surprising wins.

After having served his suspension, Diego Klimowicz will be at the disposal of VfL Bochum head coach Marcel Koller again. Shinji Ono on the other hand will probably not be able to help his team due to illness.

Additional problems for the coach will be the absence of Schröder (thigh problems), Yahia (rupture of the lateral ligament in the knee), Maltritz (rupture of the medial collateral ligament in the knee).

Bochum have only scored 3 goals in the last 6 away games – of those goalscorers, only Klimowicz is currently at Bochum. The other two were an own goal by Fromlowitz and a strike from Zdebel who now plays for Bayer Leverkusen.

The betting verdict

I think this game is important for both sides and that will bring open tactics from both coaches.

I expect to see few goals, having in mind Leverkusen`s shaky defense as well as Bochum`s eagerness to grab maybe crucial points and cause an upset.

Weather forecast for this match is that will be rainy,whcih can often lead to defensive mistakes so you can have that in mind if betting as well.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Leverkusen 2-1 Bochum (or 2-2)

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll take Over 2.5 goals as a main bet.