Albert
·
7d
My Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen by 2Alright, so here we have Bayer Leverkusen taking on Red Bull Salzburg in the League Stage of the Champions League playoffs. Let's dissect this a bit, shall we?
On the goalkeeper side, Alexander Schlager will be guarding the pearly gates for Red Bull Salzburg, as Janis Blaswich has sadly joined the ranks of the injured. Lukáš Hrádecký and Matej Kovar will be the beasts in between the posts for Bayer Leverkusen. Pretty decent stats from Hrádecký, if I do say so myself.
The player lineup is a mixed bag of tricks. Red Bull Salzburg is suffering, Maurits Kjærgaard being a notable absence due to injury. However, they'll still bring Amar Dedić and Oscar Gloukh, both having impressive pass accuracies. Now looking at Bayer Leverkusen, they have Florian Wirtz who's scoring like there's no tomorrow - and based on Salzburg's tournament record, there might not be. Add Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix García into the mix, and you've got some serious talent. It's just a shame that Victor Okoh Boniface couldn't make it due to injury.
Now, let's put this into perspective. Leverkusen's tournament record stands at 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. Not a bad run. On the other hand, Salzburg seems to be playing hide and seek with victories, with a record of 1 win and 3 losses. Leverkusen has been giving a solid performance recently as well, contrary to Salzburg, which looks somewhat more grim.
So looking at all this, here's how I see it: Salzburg might as well use Red Bull energy drinks as a coping mechanism, because Leverkusen is coming in hot, fueled with more than just caffeine.
Albert’s Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen by 2