Bayer Leverkusen vs Darmstadt 98 Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

Bayer Leverkusen’s shaky start has seen them claim one of the better Bundesliga records of the new season. Leverkusen are the best “comeback” side, with 3 of their 4 wins so far coming from 1-0 behind, including last week’s 2-1 win away to Wolfsburg. However, we don’t feel that should be too much of a problem here. Darmstadt are the joint 3rd lowest scoring club this season (8 goals total) and are without a goal in two competitive matches, including against 4th tier side Astoria Walldorf in the DFB Pokal. Though Darmstadt are generally struggling for goals since the departure of their top scorer from last season, Sandro Wagner, who scored 14 goals over 32 appearances for them, notably, it’s against the Bundesliga’s top sides where Darmstadt have hit a brick wall. Darmstadt have failed to score in matches against Dortmund, Cologne and RB Leipzig – three of the best defenses in the Bundesliga –  and Leverkusen are definitely on the same level.

While we feel it’s obvious that the hosts are the better bet here, odds of 2/7 on a Bayer Leverkusen win are a bit short for an outright bet to be tempting. Adding them to an accumulator, however, would be a decent shout. Considering that Darmstadt’s away form is one of the worst in the Bundesliga – all four matches have ended in defeat, Darmstadt have failed to score in three (75%) and conceded an average of 2.75 goals per match – and that Bayer Leverkusen have kept clean sheets in three of their four most recent home matches (two against Dortmund and Augsburg in the Bundesliga and one against Tottenham in the Champions League) then we feel that a much better value way to back the hosts is to win to nil at 11/10 with bet365.

Following on from Darmstadt’s average goals per match conceded (2.75) on the road, Bayer Leverkusen are averaging 2.5 goals scored over their 7 most recent home wins. As such, Bayer Leverkusen to win 3-0 at 7/1 with bet365 also seems decent value.