Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction: Beaten EL finalists to bounce back in style in Berlin

The invincible treble dream is over for Bayer Leverkusen after Wednesday's 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final, but Die Werkself can still go undefeated in Germany and do the double with a win over Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday (KO, 19:00).

Staged at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Saturday's final pits a second-tier side against the Bundesliga champions, and you can build up to the contest by checking out my Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction below.

Team News

Kaiserslautern are sweating on the fitness of 17-goal top scorer Ragnar Ache, who has an Achilles issue and missed his side's 5-0 win over Braunschweig on the final day of the 2. Bundesliga season last Sunday.

Jan Elvedi is also a doubt with a calf complaint, while long-term injured trio Ben Zolinski, Hendrick Zuck and Julian Niehues are definitely sidelined.

Leverkusen have a fully-fit squad and will surely make changes after Wednesday's fiasco, where they found themselves 2-0 down inside 26 minutes.

Robert Andrich, Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface are among those pushing for starts, but Matej Kovar, who has played all but one of Leverkusen's cup matches this season, should keep his place in goal ahead of club captain Lucas Hradecky.

Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen Odds

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Kaiserslautern are 14/1 to do the seemingly unthinkable and beat Leverkusen inside 90 minutes on Saturday, giving them an implied win probability of 6.7%, while the Bundesliga champions are 1/9, or a 90% chance, to complete a clean sweep in Germany inside regulation time.

The draw, which would take the tie into extra-time and potentially penalties, can be backed at 6/1, while both teams to score is available at 11/10.

Bayer Leverkusen -2 handicap @ 21/20

Wednesday night was bitterly disappointing for Leverkusen, who must now lift themselves after that heavy defeat to Atalanta. Kaiserslautern will hope to take advantage of their sorrow and the extra three days rest they have enjoyed.

However, I'm expecting Xabi Alonso to ring the changes on Saturday, which should mean that his side is fresh and raring to go from the start against their second-tier opponents.

The Spaniard certainly has the squad to be able to change things up and still expect a top-level performance, and I think the hurt experienced in Dublin will drive them on in this game.

Leverkusen thrashed Dusseldorf 4-0 in the semi-final, who finished 24 points above Kaiserslautern in the 2. Bundesliga, so Alonso's charges will believe that they can inflict similar damage on Saturday.

Of course, it's a final, so that's easier said than done, but when this Leverkusen machine gets going, it can be almost impossible to stop.

I fancy Leverkusen to win by at least three goals in Berlin, which would be enough to land the above selection.

Victor Boniface first goalscorer @ 100/30

The Nigerian striker was left out of the starting XI by Alonso on Wednesday as his head coach opted to name no recognised centre-forward. It was a decision that backfired as Leverkusen struggled to contain the Atalanta press and had no option in the middle to hold the ball up for them.

Alonso threw Boniface on at half-time in an attempt to rescue the game, but to no avail.

Surely the 23-year-old, who has scored 21 goals this season, two in the DFB-Pokal, will be given the opportunity to show his talents from the beginning on Saturday, and that makes him an attractive option to find the net first at 100/30.

Boniface's last start, at home to Augsburg in the Bundesliga last Saturday, saw him net the opening goal of the game inside 12 minutes, while he also struck first in a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen on April 14.

Three of his last four goals have come from the penalty spot, which also boosts his chances of being the first goalscorer in the 2024 DFB-Pokal final.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.