Bayer Leverkusen - Eintracht Frankfurt - 12-09-2025

After Alonso walked out of Leverkusen, it has been a circus like no other. The brains and hearts of the almost unbeatable Leverkusen team have disappeared. In came a man who had a trial in England before being downright ridiculed in Germany. Few could have imagined that Ten Haag would only get about 10 weeks in Leverkusen, and he was dubbed Erik Ten Weeks in the process. Perhaps the interview round was too short, because there were clearly a number of things that were not right - pretty much everything went to Ten Haag as a manager and person. The whole mess is something the Leverkusen management is trying to put behind them as soon as possible, because they have lured Kasper Hjulmand into the door. The Dane did his job well for the Danish national team, and can also boast a short stay in Mainz in 2014/15. But the task here is much bigger. But then again, what shoes will he really fill now? Ten Haag's has just been signed. Much is in place for him to be able to build this newly composed team in relative peace and quiet – who knows, maybe he'll even have 11 weeks to himself..

And with a sarcastic jab at Leverkusen, we can draw the opposite jab at Frankfurt. They have lost a lot of their core team, but have refuted most critics after two brilliant opening matches. New players are getting to develop, new gold is shining through, for example in Uzun. The 19-year-old has already scored 2 goals, in addition, Doan, who was brought in from Freiburg in the summer, has shown brilliant quality with 2 goals and 1 assist. Bahoya is entering his 3rd season as a Frankfurt player, but if he continues as he has started, this could quickly be his breakthrough season. Eintracht Frankfurt was in many ways in the same boat as Leverkusen, apart from the change of manager, but has turned fear of disaster into fearlessness and brilliant attacking football.

12th placed Leverkusen will host 2nd placed Frankfurt. Leverkusen is looking for its first win while Frankfurt will continue its winning streak. A lot is set for a very good football match this Friday. Let's take a closer look at the teams' condition before we land on a bet.

Leverkusen – Can Hjulmand instill vision into the squad with his idealistic style?

Hjulmand's task is not easy, and the first opposition is by no means a team he immediately wanted. However, he has the tools and home field advantage. Leverkusen has opened strongly in both games this season with early scoring, the problem has been a gradual collapse over the matches. That will be the first task that must be weeded out, the team must delegate the energy for sustained pressure. Flekken is experienced at the back and the 3'er line up front Flekken should be able to keep pace, aside from Tape-Kobrissa who lacks experience. That said, a new manager often means major changes in the starting eleven. I therefore do not put too much into how the players who have played have performed so far and who may be selected and who will not. Hjulmand also only has a small week to get the machinery up to speed here, so what we see immediately there is almost no point in speculating too much about. What is certain is that Hjulmand is known for a demanding, idealistic and tactically skilled approach to the game. He sets clear demands on the squad, expects everyone to understand and embrace the vision and is constantly looking for new ways to play football. It has previously been demanding for some players to follow, and this is where the most interesting thing to watch will be – how the current Leverkusen squad handles this shift, who manages to follow and who falls off.

If we are to take some immature statistics with us, it is that there are goals in the team, 4 goals in 2 games is a great start, at the same time there has been a high corner production (10 on average, of which Leverkusen has accounted for 6 and 7 in the 2 games). Furthermore, they have had a relatively high ball possession, but this can change, depending on where Hjulmand focuses first. But, now they face a team that has both scored more than them and crushed the opponents they lost and drew against.

Eintracht Frankfurt – New season, new courage, new hope

For those words could well be Toppmöller's words when he sent his team out in the opening match against Werder Bremen. What was expected to be an even game against an exciting Werder Bremen team was instead overrun and a solid 4-1 final result. And it wasn't about beautiful football and fantastic goals. All players, except for newcomer Burkardt, had a nearly perfect day. If Burkardt also gets going and shows what he showed in Mainz, then this season could be very exciting for Frankfurt. In the first two matches, both played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, it was absolutely wonderful to watch the cooperation between Doan, Uzun and Bahoya. A young and very talented midfield and attack have been fed with an experienced defense with a small dose of young talent here too, in this case the 21-year-old Collins. Collins got a lot of playing time last season, and has only built on this and eventually formed a solid center-back pair with Koch. Zetterer, who arrived from Werder Bremen before the season, has shown why Toppmöller wanted him. It's hard not to like this Eintracht Frankfurt team, and they travel to Leverkusen with just the right amount of confidence ahead of the first big test of the season.

With a high xG (2.15 on average), explosive starts, lightning-fast combinations and a persistent will to attack in the first 2 games, Frankfurt knows that they can give Leverkusen plenty of challenges from the first whistle. In both games they have scored 2 goals within the first 30 minutes, and in that respect they challenge Leverkusen well on that point, who have also scored at least 1 goal within the first 30 in their games. The main difference is that Leverkusen have conceded both 2 and 3 goals in their games, while Frankfurt have been solid defensively. The goal against Werder Bremen was okay enough, and against Hoffenheim they conceded in overtime.

Conclusion

In a somewhat unpredictable match, goals are the main focus here. Both teams have been involved in goal-heavy matches. Leverkusen with over 2.5 goals in both matches, while Frankfurt has gone over 3.5 goals in both of their matches. It is natural to look towards goals in such a match, both bts, as well as goals both ways, here more in favor of Frankfurt. Corner production has been relatively high, with both teams, but here we suddenly see a completely different Leverkusen team, so it remains. Let's see what odds we find and bets that give the most meaning and value.

• Both teams to score (1.44) – It should come as no surprise that the odds on BTS are low. Both teams have 2/2 matches with BTS and historically 65% ​​of matches have ended with BTS.
• Over 2.5 goals (1.50) – Over 2.5 goals is closely followed, again not surprising, considering the opening matches. I would argue that this is a safe low-odds bet that can be combined with other matches if people are looking for it.
• Both teams to score + over 2.5 goals (1.68) – This is a nice one and is probably what most people are thinking here. We know that both teams have goals in them, some vulnerability at the back and that in that sense it is a wide open match that can go either way. A very strong alternative as a main bet.
• Eintracht Frankfurt over 1.5 goals (2.03) – It is undeniable that Frankfurt have impressed at the start of the season. They play with low shoulders and create chance after chance. Leverkusen will have a tough time here, the only thing that makes this game uncertain is the fact that Leverkusen (at least on paper) are a few notches up from Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim, and that we do not know exactly what changes Hjulmand can come up with towards the match and not least where the effectiveness of it all ends.
• Eintracht Frankfurt wins (2.90) / draw no bet (2.12) – The argument is simple: If Hoffenheim can take all the points from Leverkusen, why shouldn't Frankfurt do it, the team that just beat Hoffenheim 3-1 away. If Frankfurt scores an early goal here, it is further argued that the task will be formidable for Leverkusen. Leverkusen may have the upper hand in statistics (won their last 5), but the teams and conditions have changed so much that it can hardly be used. If you don't feel that pure marking is good enough, then a draw no bet is still a very good alternative to good us.

Where do we land? We land on goals in favor of Eintracht Frankfurt. BTS + over 2.5 goals also sits very well, but with such good odds on a Frankfurt team in very good flow, combined with a leaking Leverkusen, it has to be tried. Here you can capture good value early and rather be more restrained throughout the season when/if the opposite is proven. That said, BTS + over 2.5 goals also has good odds and there is equal belief that both betting options will go their way on Friday night, so here you just have to choose what suits your gut feeling best.

Germany at 20:30: Bayer Leverkusen – Eintracht Frankfurt: Eintracht Frankfurt over 1.5 goals (2.03)

Alternative game

Germany at 20:30: Bayer Leverkusen – Eintracht Frankfurt: Both teams to score + over 2.5 goals (1.68)

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