The champions of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen, will be traveling to Rotterdam on Thursday to take on Feyenoord in their opening fixture in the 2024-25 Champions League season. Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen kicks off at 12:45 p.m. ET, streaming on Paramount+, YouTube TV and other CBS Sports platforms.
Leverkusen are a -150 favorite on the moneyline for Thursday, with Feyenoord +360 and a draw +320. The consensus over/under is 3 goals juiced to the over at -132, with the under +100. However, most books are posting either 2.5 or 3.5 as the total for this one.
Let’s get into my preview for Feyenoord vs. Bayer Leverkusen predictions and my Champions League picks for Thursday.
Feyenoord vs. Bayer Leverkusen Odds, Picks, Prediction
| Leverkusen Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 +105 | 3.5 130o / -165u | -150 |
| Feyenoord Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -145 | 3.5 130o / -165u | +360 |
- Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen moneyline odds: Feyenoord +360, Bayer Leverkusen -150, Draw +320
- Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen over/under: 3.5 goals (over +116, under -140)
- Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen pick: Over 3.5
My Leverkusen vs. Feyenoord best bet is on the over at 3.5 goals, as well as a prop selection. Always be sure to shop around for the best lines by using our live soccer odds page.
Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen Preview
Coming off an impressive season in the Bundesliga of 43 wins, 9 draws and 1 loss, Bayer Leverkusen were able to end Bayern Munich’s 11-year streak of winning the Bundesliga. Xabi Alonso has done a fantastic job so far with his new team, leading them to an unbeaten season in his second year.
Feyenoord parted ways with their previous manager, Arne Slot, who’s trying to fill the shoes of Liverpool’s previous manager, Jurgen Klopp. For the 2024-25 season, Feyenoord appointed Brian Priske to assume the club’s managerial duties. So far, Priske has remained unbeaten in the Eredivisie with three draws and a win.
Feyenoord
Coping with the loss of Arne Slot, Feyenoord find themselves in eighth place in the Eredivisie table. The jury is still out on the ceiling of this Feyenoord side with Priske at the helm. In the mid to long term, I think they should be all right. But in the short-term, this team may go through some growing pains in order to be a lock for a top three finish like they were with Slot.
One big positive that Feyenoord have shown this season is the bite that their offense plays with. Feyenoord have scored first in 100% of their matches, which sounds an awful lot like their German opponents, who also usually find themselves on the board first. Feyenoord are averaging 2.25 goals/match this season in the Eredivisie, while also conceding 1.25 goals/match, which seems to highlight the biggest strength, offensive output and their biggest weakness, defensive consistency, perfectly.
Bayer Leverkusen
Coming off a historic season, Bayer Leverkusen look to keep up their success in both the Bundesliga, and now the Champions League. After an unbeaten season in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen also found themselves in the final of the Europa league, but they surprisingly lost by a score of 3-0 to Italian side Atalanta.
Luckily for Alonso, he has managed to keep his key players that were largely responsible for the club's massive success last season, most notably Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba. One thing that’s worth noting about Leverkusen is how dangerous they appear to be at securing early leads.
This was something that they definitely improved on compared to last season, where Leverkusen often came from behind to win their games. This season, they have been much more effective at scoring first. However this season, Leverkusen haven’t been the greatest at keeping it. This season against Leipzig for example, Leverkusen jumped out to a first half lead of 2-0, but they conceded three goals, one in the seventh minute of added time in the first half, and two in the second half. They lost this match 3-2. Keeping in mind the offensive threat that Feyenoord play with, we could see some action throughout this match.
Both of these teams like to play quicker than the average team in Europe, and they aren’t exactly the most consistent defensively. Especially with how good Leverkusen are at build-up play with the likes of Florian Wirtz, and electrifying wingbacks Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, this could spell some serious defensive problems for Priske’s Feyenoord, who appear to play a zonal man-to-man style of defense.
Coupled with Leverkusen’s lack of poise when playing with a lead, which they should likely have at some point in this match, this could lead to a barrage of goals. I think over 3.5 at +125 is good value when considering the inconsistency of either side's defense.
