Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV Prediction: Both sides to play part in goalfest

The pressure is on both Bayer 04 Leverkusen and PSV Eindhoven this Wednesday (20:00 BST, TNT Sports 8) as they face off in the league phase of the Uefa Champions League. The Bundesliga side began their European campaign with a 2-2 draw at FC Copenhagen, and with games against Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Manchester City and Newcastle United to come, they will be targeting all three points against the Eredivisie outfit, who lost 3-1 at home to competition newcomers Union Saint-Gilloise on MD1.

Below are my Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this midweek meeting at the BayArena.

Team News

Martin Terrier (Achilles), Exequiel Palacios (groin), Jonas Hoffman and Alejo Sarco were all left out of Leverkusen's Champions League squad, with Terrier and Palacios both injured.

Nathan Tella (knee) has missed Die Werkself's last three games and looks set for another watching brief on Wednesday, while Robert Andrich (thigh) and Patrik Schick (muscle) were both taken off in Saturday's 2-1 Bundesliga victory at St. Pauli and are considered doubtful for the visit of PSV.

Ernest Poku did his chances of making a first start for the club no harm by coming off the bench at the weekend and scoring the winner. A Dutch U21 international who joined from AZ Alkmaar during the summer, Poku will have prior knowledge of PSV, as will Malik Tillman, who swapped Eindhoven for Leverkusen in July.

Football Odds

The visitors will be without Wessel Kuhn, Alassane Plea, Ruben van Bommel (all knee), Myron Boadu (hamstring), Eus Waayers (calf) and Kiliann Sildillia (thigh), while Ricardo Pepi (muscle) and Sergino Dest (unspecified) are doubtful.

Summer signing Dennis Man provided the assist for Ismael Saibari's winner on the weekend, and the Romanian will hope to be rewarded with a start in midweek.

Today's Football Fixtures

Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV Odds

Leverkusen have beaten Eintracht Frankfurt (3-1) and St. Pauli (1-2), either side of draws with Copenhagen (2-2) and Borussia Monchengladbach (1-1), since sacking Erik ten Hag as head coach after three games and replacing him with Kasper Hjulmand.

Last season's Bundesliga runners-up are 9/10 to record back-to-back victories for the first time under the Dane, implying a 52.6% probability of success on Wednesday, while PSV, who have lost two of their last five matches, are 11/4, or a 26.7% chance, to claim a first-ever competitive win in Germany (D3, L14).

Leverkusen have drawn three of their last five contests, and you can back the German side for another stalemate here at 3/1.

Tillman, who struck three Champions League goals in six appearances for PSV last season, has scored twice in his first five outings for Die Werkself, and is 2/1 to strike anytime against his former employers on Wednesday.

Both Teams To Score & Total Goals Over/Under +3.5 - Yes & Over 3.5 @ 8/5

I'm confident of an entertaining encounter in Leverkusen, with both teams playing their part to land this 8/5 shot.

Four goals were scored in each side's opening league phase fixture, with Leverkusen sharing the strikes with Copenhagen, and PSV only accounting for 25% of the total against Union SG.

Leverkusen are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season, with both teams scoring in all six games; half (three) have seen at least four goals, too.

PSV haven't been great defensively either, keeping just one clean sheet in nine matches across the Eredivisie, Champions League and Johan Cruyff Shield. They've shipped 15 goals, and six of their games have seen both teams score and over 3.5 strikes, including three of their last four.

Peter Bosz's side were one of the UCL league phase's great entertainers last season, with their games averaging 3.5 goals. Both teams scored in six of their eight matches, and BTTS-Yes and over 3.5 goals landed in half (four).

Then, in the knockout phase play-offs, PSV exchanged 2-1 wins with Juventus in regulation time, winning their home game 3-1 after extra time, before suffering a 7-1 defeat at home to Arsenal in the first leg of their last-16 tie, and drawing the reverse fixture 2-2 in north London.

Leverkusen's league phase matches only averaged 2.75 goals, but have changed managers twice since Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid in May.

With both sides capable of claiming all three points on Wednesday, and each looking to do so ahead of some tough fixtures, we could be in for a cracking contest, with plenty of goals.

Anytime Goalscorer - Ismael Saibari (PSV) @ 7/2

I think we're getting great value here, considering Saibari, who scored 15 goals in 44 appearances for PSV last season, including three in the Champions League, has found the net in his last two outings.

The 24-year-old endured a slow start to the campaign, failing to fire in any of his first seven club matches, but he bagged a brace for Morocco in their 5-0 thrashing of Niger on September 5, and he got off the mark for PSV in style 16 days later, opening the scoring in De Topper as the Eindhoven club drew 2-2 with Ajax.

Saibari made it two in two on Saturday as he struck in the 72nd minute to condemn Excelsior to a 2-1 defeat in Rotterdam, and he will look to take that confidence and form into Wednesday's meeting with Leverkusen, who have looked vulnerable at the back this season.

The Spanish-born, Belgian-raised midfielder scored against Liverpool and Juventus (x2) in the 2024/25 Champions League, so a trip to the BayArena shouldn't daunt him.

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