GERMAN CUP BETTING PREVIEW - KAISERSLAUTERN VS BAYER LEVERKUSEN

German Cup

2024-05-25 - Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen

A Sports Betting Preview by Niko

Kaiserslautern v Bayer Leverkusen
Football; Germany: DFB Pokal Final
Olympic Stadium – Berlin
Saturday, 25th May 2024 - kickoff 20:00 CET

Kaiserslautern

Kaiserslautern had a very turbulent last couple of months. They were on the verge of 2.Bundesliga relegation, but winning three times in their last four games of the season saved them. They won their most recent games 5-0 against bottom rivals Eintracht Braunschweig, so their form is good before this match.

That was a huge relief because a month ago, they were in the relegation zone, and no one even thought about their big DFB Cup Final against the German champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Kaiserslautern has a very good coach in the former German player Friedhelm Funkel, who is in his third DFB Pokal Final as a coach (he lost the two prior finals as coach of MSV Duisburg in 1998 and in 2006 with Eintracht Frankfurt), plus two finals as a player, and will retire from coaching after this match.

The home and away form does not mean much in cup finals, as the German DFB Pokal is played in Berlin. This will be the 40th final held at the Olympic Stadium, where Hertha Berlin plays as a host.

A thing to note about Kaiserslautern is that they have a very leaky defense, conceding two goals per match on average this past season. We should expect them to tighten up against the powerful attack of Bayer Leverkusen, but keep in mind that Kaiserslautern managed only 2 clean sheets in their 34 league games this season.

Also, Kaiserslautern's road to the big final was rather easy - they beat the amateurs Rot-Weiss Koblenz in the first round, Koln and Nurnberg in the second and third, and Hertha Berlin and Saarbrucken in the quarterfinals and semifinal games. They managed to avoid all the big sides, so perhaps they got a bit lucky to reach the final.

Kaiserslautern’s top scorer, Ragnar Ache (16 goals), missed the last league game due to a knock but is expected to play from the start in this game. The same applies to the influential defender Jan Elvedi, the brother of the more famous Nico Elvedi, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen's incredible run of 51 straight games unbeaten (42 wins) finally came to an end. Last Wednesday, they lost the UEFA Europa League final convincingly 3-0 to Atalanta in Dublin, in a match in which they were outplayed for the first time this season.

Before that, Bayer Leverkusen finished their domestic season with three straight wins where they scored a total of 12 goals.

Bayer Leverkusen still has a unique chance to complete a double of trophies in Germany, which they have never achieved in their history. I am sure that Xabi Alonso will mix things up and motivate his players again, so we should expect a strong performance by Bayer Leverkusen in this match.

Luckily, the team does not have any absentees after the Europa League final, and Bayer Leverkusen will play in their best available line-up.

One big change that might happen is in the goalkeeping position. First-choice goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky will likely be on the bench, leaving the position to the backup goalkeeper Matej Kovar, who guarded Bayer Leverkusen’s goal in all cup matches this season.

The Betting Verdict

Kaiserslautern should be motivated for this game for many reasons. They will play in Berlin in front of 80,000 people on neutral ground, plus they get to face the currently best team in Germany and one of the best in Europe. They have nothing to lose and a lot to gain if they win, as they will secure UEFA Europa League qualification matches in case they lift the trophy.

Kaiserslautern has won the DFB Pokal twice and played in the Final seven times. The last time they played in the final was over two decades ago, in 2003, when they lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich. Interestingly, they are the first team outside the Bundesliga to reach the final since 2011.

On the other side, Bayer Leverkusen has won the German Cup only once – in 1993, and the last time they played in the final was in 2020.

Bayer Leverkusen is highly motivated for a double crown after winning the Bundesliga. They lost the Europa League Final but that should motivate them more to go hard from the start in this game.

I expect a very open game, especially from Bayer Leverkusen. They are likely to score more than once, and I believe the first goal will come early. If that happens, they will cruise to a victory, so I recommend taking a bet on Bayer Leverkusen to win both halves.

The Pick :

Kaiserslautern 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Bayer Leverkusen to win at HT/FT at odds of 1.53 with Bet365