Bayer Leverkusen vs Fortuna Dusseldorf Predictions

• Bayer Leverkusen are going for the domestic double and have won 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions
• Fortuna Dusseldorf have reached the last four without playing any top-flight team
• Bayer Leverkusen beat 2. Bundesliga outfit Paderborn 3-1 earlier in the competition

Leverkusen look good for domestic double

Bayer Leverkusen can place more focus on Wednesday’s DFB Pokal semi-final than they might have been expecting in a campaign where they are chasing silverware on three fronts.

This competition remains the lowest priority target for the Bundesliga leaders and Europa League semi-finalists, but Xabi Alonso should still go fairly string for this clash with 2. Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf. Saturday’s dramatic comeback to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 enabled Die Werkself to stretch their advantage at the top fo the table to 13 points and it stayed that way after Bayern Munich lost to Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker.

Thomas Tuchel later conceded the title and it’s hard to argue with that assessment as there are now only 21 points left to play for. The lead means Alonso can reassess his priorities a little and give more minutes to ket players in this game, although he is still likely to rotate because that’s what he has done all season.

Cup draw has favoured Fortuna to this point 

Victor Boniface is set to return to the squad after injury and he could feature off the bench while the likes of Nathan Tella, Amine Adli, Josip Stanisic and Adam Hlozek look likely to step up to the starting line-up.

Fortuna have reached the last four of this competition without facing a top-flight team, dispatching two regional qualifiers from Bavaria in the first two rounds before taking out fellow second-tier teams Magdeburg and St Pauli in the last-16 and quarter-finals.

The gap in class between these clubs looks like being too much for Fortuna to bridge, especially as they will be travelling to a packed-out BayArena. The hosts should win comfortably with a -1 handicap recommended as Leverkusen have covered that in all three of their cup ties against lower division opponents this season.