German Bundesliga
2009-11-29 - Bayer Leverkusen vs Vfb Stuttgart
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Bay Arena
Sunday, 29th November 2009 – kickoff 15:30
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen kept the top after the 1-1 draw against Bayern last week and still are the most serious title contender.
Stefan Kiessling is the Bundesliga top scorer with nine goals and he also scored against Bayern in the last round and will be again in the attack. He has scored in each of the last three league matches for Leverkusen.
Leverkusen have a rock solid defense and have not conceded in five of the last eight matches and also they are a team with least goals conceded – only nine goals scored against.
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler had picked up a minor hand injury during a training session few days ago but he will be well and fit for this match.
No other players are missing and coach Heynckes will field the same formation as last week that faced Bayern Munich.
Vfb Stuttgart
Stuttgart are dropping rapidly and now they are in the relegation zone. However, they improved their game in the Champions League where they beat rangers away and still have hope for progressing further.
That win in the Champions League was a small relief for the team that had gone 10 straight matches without a win. Last time they won was two months ago when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0.
Now they will face their toughest opponent and will have tough job ahead to get a positive result against the best team in the Bundesliga this moment.
Coach Babbel has the support by the team Board, but if there is no change in the way of this team is playing they will have a tough battle whole season to avoid relegation.
The midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic, who has scored against Glasgow Rangers, is sidelined for this match due to one-match ban.
Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has not lived up to the expectations so far having scored only two times in the last eleven matches.
The Betting Verdict
Stuttgart beat Leverkusen last season when playing away, but in Dusseldorf 4-2, and they suffered a defeat at home 2-0.
Bayer have won 23 times, lost 21 and drawn 16 times against Stuttgart. Eight of the 16 draws were scoreless.
Stuttgart won in Champions League but one match can not show if the team has truly improved. They gambled to many points away against much weaker opponents and luckily avoided defeat last week when they scored in the last moments of the game in the draw against Hertha Berlin.
Bayer Leverkusen are playing good football, there is good chemistry in the team and i expect them to continue with their good game and win this fixture.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Bayer Leverkusen-Vfb Stuttgart 1-0
