Leverkusen Going For Domestic Double
DFB-Pokal Final 2024: Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen Odds & Preview
Bayer Leverkusen Invincible No Longer
Bayer Leverkusen have been the biggest story in German soccer all season long. They recently completed the Bundesliga’s first invincible season and after 361 days and 51 games, their incredible unbeaten run, in all competitions, finally came to an end on Wednesday. Leverkusen lost 3-0 in the Europa League Final but have an opportunity to win the domestic double on Saturday. Bayer Leverkusen take on second-tier side FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal Final. We’ll run through the lopsided Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen odds (-700!) for the last match of the season on the German soccer calendar.
Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen
Date, Time: Saturday, May 25, 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Olympiastadion, Berlin
Stream: ESPN
Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen Head-to-Head
This is the first chance to bet on Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen odds since the 2015 DFB-Pokal Round of 16. Bayer Leverkusen won that match 2-0 in extra time to advance to the Quarter-Finals. Leverkusen’s roster has completely turned over since then but they have lost just three of their last 27 games vs. FC Kaiserslautern. Kaiserslautern last defeated Leverkusen in the 2014 DFB-Pokal Quarters, in extra time.
Kaiserslautern Face Toughest Test By Far
One could argue Kaiserslautern have been fortunate with their DFB-Pokal draw until now. The 2. Bundesliga club has played Rot-Weiss Koblenz, FC Köln, Nürnberg, Hertha BSC, and Saarbrucken up to this point. Two of those clubs play in the third tier or lower, two are 2. Bundesliga sides and only FC Köln played in the Bundesliga this season. Even so, Köln got relegated this season after a poor campaign.
That’s not to take away from what FCK have achieved in the DFB-Pokal this season. They’ve conceded just three goals in five matches on the DFB-Pokal schedule. Both Marlon Ritter and Richmond Tachie rank in the top ten for goal contributions as well. In the Semifinals, FC Kaiserslautern defeated a Saarbrucken team that had taken down Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt earlier on in the competition.
Kaiserslautern have also been in good form in the lead-up to this match. They were in the 2. Bundesliga relegation zone in late April but managed three wins in their last four matches to finish in 13th place and stay in the second division. In the last match of the season, Ritter scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Eintracht Braunschweig. However, midfielder Julian Niehues is out for this match and key defender Jan Elvedi is a doubt.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Heads Held High
Bayer Leverkusen’s dreams of an unbeaten treble are over but they can still hold their heads high. Atalanta’s high press and physicality were too much for Leverkusen during Wednesday’s Europa League Final. La Dea took down Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin. It was one of the first times all season that Xabi Alonso’s tactics have been called into question, as he went with Amine Adli as a false nine instead of a traditional striker.
Still, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen standings this season were ridiculously impressive. They went 28-6-0 in the Bundesliga and put together the longest unbeaten run in European soccer since the introduction of European competitions. They haven’t won the DFB-Pokal since 1993 and this is their first opportunity to win a domestic double. Adli leads the DFB-Pokal, with five goals, but we could see their leading scorer in all competitions, Victor Boniface, get the nod here.
Florian Wirtz wasn’t his usual self on Wednesday and Bayer Leverkusen’s playmaker has been carrying an injury for the past couple of weeks. Wednesday marked just the second time all season Leverkusen failed to score but they have averaged over four goals per game in the DFB-Pokal this season. In the Semifinals, they took down Dusseldorf 4-0 as Wirtz scored twice. No Leverkusen players are currently listed as out for Saturday’s match.
Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen Match Analysis & Odds
After losing for the first time this season, it’s doubtful Bayer Leverkusen will be caught by surprise by Kaiserslautern. Leverkusen will be motivated to close out the 2023-24 campaign with silverware in a match they’re heavily favored in. The Kaiserslautern vs Leverkusen odds currently price Bayer as -700 moneyline favorites for Saturday’s DFB-Pokal Final.
While Leverkusen last reached the Final in 2020, Kaiserslautern haven’t been here since 2003. Leverkusen are 1-3 in DFB-Pokal finals, while Kaiserslautern are 2-5 and last won in 1996. Kaiserslautern are +1500 moneyline underdogs and Bayer Leverkusen are much stronger than any other team they’ve faced this season. While Leverkusen display -6000 odds to lift the DFB-Pokal trophy, Kaiserslautern are at +550 odds to come away with a massive upset.
Kaiserslautern +2, +2.5 and Leverkusen -2, -2.5 both show -115 odds at the moment. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bayer Leverkusen bounce back and blow Kaiserslautern away after Wednesday’s loss. A draw is priced at +750 but the last two DFB-Pokal matches between these teams have gone into extra time.
Both over and under 3.5 goals come in at -115 and there’s the potential for goals here.
