SC Hauenstein vs Bayer Leverkusen Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

SC Hauenstein have a true “David versus Goliath” opportunity ahead of them in their DFB Pokal first round match against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. If the challenge wasn’t already enough for the hosts, who hail from the “Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar”, a German fifth tier division, their coach Thomas Fichtner will be absent for the match as he simply “doesn’t have time” with his holiday in Turkey already booked. Needless to say that most, including Bayer Leverkusen, had heard little to nothing about Hauenstein until the draw for the first round, and this fixture brings together two entirely separate worlds of athleticism.

Bayer Leverkusen will be fully ready for their first competitive match of the 2016/2017 campaign after a stellar pre-season. Bayer Leverkusen were undefeated in any of their eight club friendlies over the summer (W6 D2) and come into this off the back off three consecutive wins against Italian giants Fiorentina, German side Kickers Offenbach, and La Liga’s Real Sociedad. While some players are absent for Leverkusen (see team news), their squad is obviously incomparably better than the hosts here. Regardless of which team is sent out, the hosts will find a hard time leaving with anything against the Champions League qualified side.

Down in the fifth tier, SC Hauenstein have years of reputation for playing decent football with a lot of possession, a task made much more difficult against higher class opponents. They managed to hold  2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen to a 0-0 draw in their pre-season which, against Leverkusen, would obviously be a dream result. Leverkusen have, however, ran over similar level competition in the recent past. Just five years ago, Bayer won 11-1 against local side FK Pirmasens and given their form, we expect a similar outcome. There is simply no value on betting a Leverkusen win here, with the visitors being priced at a staggering 1/66. However, as the hosts are likely looking to play defensively, we feel that Bayer Leverkusen should get the better of them as they tire towards the second half.

As such, we expect Bayer Leverkusen – 2nd half highest scoring at 4/5 to be a safe bet and Bayer Leverkusen to win 5-0 at 11/2 to be a decent value correct score bet here.