Bayer Leverkusen vs TSG Hoffenheim
Erik ten Hag was once an assistant under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. 10 years later, and the Dutchman is back in the Bundesliga under different circumstances, as he is now the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, replacing the departed Xabi Alonso.
This Saturday, he’ll have his first home game with Die Werkself, as they will host Hoffenheim at the BayArena. They come into this game with high confidence following a 4-0 win in their first DFB-Pokal tie against Sonnenhof Großaspach last week.
Hoffenheim also come into this game in good spirits following a 4-0 win over Hansa in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last Saturday. Die Kraichgauer hope to improve on their 15th-place finish last season, which almost dropped them down to the second division.
Which between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim will draw first blood this weekend? Here is the match preview, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Talking Points
Schick remains slick for Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen have had a busy summer transfer window. They sold Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Odilon Kossounou, Granit Xhaka, and Lukas Hradecky, among others. In return, they acquired Malik Tillman, Mark Flekken, Jarell Quansah, Ernest Poku, Ibrahim Maza, and Christian Kofane, among others. The club is also reportedly interested in acquiring either Loic Bade or Victor Lindelof to strengthen their backline.
Recently, Die Werkself also handed Patrik Schick a five-year contract extension after a solid 2024-25 campaign, where he finished second in the Golden Boot race with 21 league goals. Since arriving from AS Roma in 2020, Schick has recorded 82 goals in 169 competitive appearances for Die Werkself.
Schick is expected to spearhead Bayer Leverkusen’s attack this season, with Victor Boniface as his backup and Nathan Tella and Malik Tillman behind him. The 29-year-old has a penchant for finding the back of the net against Hoffenheim, as Schick has scored six goals in his last six matches against them.
Asllani poised for a breakout season with Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim also had a busy transfer window this summer. And just like Bayer Leverkusen, they sold several players to fund their rebuild. Some of their key departures include Tom Bischof and Anton Stach. On the other hand, they recently added Vladimir Coufal on a free transfer to add experience to their backline.
If Die Kraichgauer are going to make noise this season, it’ll likely be on the back of a breakout year from Fisnik Asllani, who will stay with the club this season. The 23-year-old forward spent the 2024-25 campaign on loan with SV Elversberg, almost dragging the team into the Bundesliga with his 18 league goals and eight assists. No player contributed to more goals in Bundesliga 2 across the whole campaign than Asllani.
As shown against Hansa in the DFB-Pokal first round, he will likely link up with Andrej Kramaric and Tim Lemperle in the final third in Christian Ilzer’s 3-4-2-1 formation. Speaking of Kramaric, he has 126 goals for Hoffenheim, which is the most of any active player in the German top-flight.
History
Bayer Leverkusen have won their last five encounters with Hoffenheim, including a league double last season via an aggregate tally of 7-2. Die Kraichgauer’s last victory in this fixture came in the 2022-23 campaign when they won 3-0 against Die Werkself at the BayArena. Christoph Baumgartner, Andrej Kramaric, and Georginio Rutter found the back of the net for Hoffenheim.
Last season, Bayer Leverkusen finished second behind Bayern Munich with 69 points, while Hoffenheim were 15th with 32 points.
Before taking the Bayer Leverkusen job, Erik ten Hag coached Manchester United for two full seasons, winning the EFL and FA Cup. He took several months off after he was sacked last October. Meanwhile, Christian Ilzer had been with Hoffenheim since November, replacing Pellegrino Matarazzo.
Betting Tip
The Bundesliga 2025 odds expect Erik ten Hag to ace his first Bundesliga test this Saturday. Bayer Leverkusen are 1.46 favourites to win, whereas Hoffenheim are 5.20 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.37 in the 1X2 market.
Both teams are expected to create new Bundesliga 2025 highlights at the BayArena, with the hosts likely to score more goals. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also add Over 3.00 at 1.75, Over 3.25 at 1.97, Over 3.50 at 2.16, and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.43 to their parlay, with Total Goal 2-3 at 2.22 being the more conservative option. Moreover, a Correct Score of 3-1 in favour of Die Werkself – the result of their last league encounter – could yield a handsome payday of 10.50 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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