Bayer Leverkusen vs Manchester United preview

November 26, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Bayer Leverkusen vs Man UtdBundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen can all but secure their place in the knockout stages with three points from this match, but beating the reigning Premier League champions will be no easy task.

While the team had been showing a lot of promise in the past as well, they have found an incredible consistency under former Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia.

That has seen them become serious title contenders in Bundesliga, while also impressing in Europe’s elite competition.

Weekend’s hard-fought victory over Hertha saw die Werkself climb to second in the league standings, meaning they can now fully focus on their European campaign.

And while this year’s Champions League didn’t have the best of starts for Bayer Leverkusen, with the team losing 4-2 at Old Trafford, Sami Hyypia’s men have done brilliantly to boost their qualifying hopes since.

Back to back home wins over Real Sociedad and Shakhtar Donetsk as well as the goalless draw in Ukraine saw Bayer climb to second place, and another triumph would probably see them qualify for the next round.

Considering that die Werkself have won eight of nine home matches this term, only sharing spoils with Bayern Munich, there may be value in odds of 2.50 (3/2) offered on home win.

The aforementioned win over Hertha did come at a cost as star forward Sidney Sam picked up a thigh injury, but Stefan Reinartz returns to the side.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Leno – Donati, Wollscheid, Toprak, Can – Bender, Rolfes, Reinartz – Castro, Kiessling, Son.

Manchester United have done really well to recover from the dismal start to the season, but some cheap mistakes could end up costing them dearly in the final count.

Home win over Premier League leaders Arsenal, their third in a row, saw the Red Devils kick-start their title bid, and they only had to validate that triumph by beating Cardiff City as well.

And while Manchester United were in the driving seat throughout the game, they ended up conceding a late equalizer, dropping another two points in the process.

This is another reason why the Red Devils should be very motivated to return to winning ways in Leverkusen, and the triumph would also see them secure the first position in the group.

However, even if away win pays 3.10 (21/10), you would probably be better off backing both teams to score at 1.75 (3/4).

David Moyes is hoping to welcome Nemanja Vidic and Robin van Persie back to the squad, but Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini miss out through injury and suspension respectively.

Meanwhile, Rafael da Silva, Phil Jones and Shinji Kagawa all face fitness tests ahead of the trip to Bay Arena in Leverkusen.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): De Gea – Smalling, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra – Valencia, Cleverley, Giggs, Nani – Kagawa – Van Persie.

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