Bayer Leverkusen take on the visitors Freiburg in the round 8 match of German Bundesliga. The match will be played on Sunday, October 26th at BayArena (Leverkusen)
Bayer have, quite predictably, run into serious problems. The “Aspirin-makers” went unbeaten in domestic competitions two seasons ago, an achievement that earned them their first-ever Bundesliga title along with the DFB-Pokal. Xabi Alonso stayed on after that historic double, but it wasn’t enough to keep the team at the top. The summer saw a major shift — Alonso returned to Madrid, and several key players departed as well. Things might have been manageable under those conditions, but the club’s gamble on Erik ten Hag completely backfired, as his tenure turned into a disaster and ended by early autumn. Under his successor, Kasper Hjulmand, the team showed noticeable improvement, although inconsistency still lingers with occasional frustrating draws. In their last Bundesliga match, they managed to edge Mainz, returning to winning ways. However, their Champions League clash with PSG ended in a humiliating 2-7 defeat, exposing major defensive weaknesses. Bayer will now be eager to restore confidence at home and prove that those setbacks were only temporary.
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Freiburg improved last season but, much like Nottingham Forest in England, fell short when it mattered most. They stayed in the top four for much of the campaign but ultimately missed out on the Champions League, settling for a spot in the Europa League instead. That season also marked the end of Christian Streich’s long managerial era, as Steffen Schuster took charge with mixed early impressions. In Europe, Freiburg have started fairly well, defeating Basel at home before earning a hard-fought draw in Bologna. On Thursday, they continued their strong continental form with a 2-0 victory over Utrecht. Domestically, though, results have been inconsistent — two opening defeats were followed by a short winning run and then a pair of draws against mid-table sides like Hoffenheim and Mönchengladbach. Their most recent 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt highlighted both their attacking intent and defensive instability. The team’s ability to maintain focus between competitions remains the key question.
Bayer had won three consecutive meetings against Freiburg before their thrilling 2-2 draw in May on the latter’s home ground. The hosts will be determined to bounce back and have every reason to expect a positive result. However, given both sides’ attacking tendencies and defensive lapses, the best option seems to be betting on “over 2.5 total goals.”
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
