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Elversberg will make their Bundesliga debut this weekend when they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Ursapharm-Arena in what promises to be one of the most memorable fixtures in the club's history.
The Black and Whites secured promotion to the German top flight last season after finishing second in the 2. Bundesliga, narrowly beating out third-placed Paderborn on goal difference to secure automatic promotion.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, endured a disappointing 2025-26 campaign as they finished sixth, their lowest league position for three seasons, just two years after winning their first maiden Bundesliga title.
Both sides made winning starts to their competitive campaigns in the cup, with Elversberg beating Duisburg 3-1 before Leverkusen cruised past Wehen with a 4-0 victory.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Elversberg vs Bayer Leverkusen key stats
- Their first meeting came in the DFB-Pokal in 2022, when Elversberg stunned Leverkusen with a 4-3 victory.
- This will be Elversberg's first-ever Bundesliga fixture after promotion from the 2. Bundesliga.
- The two sides have combined for 25 goals across their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Carles Martínez Novell is preparing for his first Bundesliga campaign as Leverkusen boss after spending three years at Toulouse.
Elversberg vs Bayer Leverkusen preview: Can the hosts earn their first ever top-flight win?
Elversberg vs Bayer Leverkusen — Tale of the Tape
| Elversberg | vs | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Position | N/A |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Goals For | N/A |
| N/A | Goals Against | N/A |
| N/A | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
Spending much of their 119-year history in the lower tiers of German football, Elversberg sent shockwaves around the country after securing promotion on the final day with a 3-0 victory over relegated Preussen Münster.
The historic win sparked a pitch invasion as the Saarland club celebrated a remarkable third promotion in five years and became one of the smallest towns ever to be represented in the Bundesliga.
Founded in 1907, the club only reached the second tier for the first time in the 2023-24 season and came close to promotion last year before losing to Heidenheim in the promotion-relegation playoff.
The painful playoff route was something they were able to avoid this time around, with their superior goal difference enough to send them up through the automatic promotion places.
Ahead of their historic first Bundesliga outing, which comes at a home ground currently undergoing work to meet the league's requirements, Elversberg enjoyed a strong pre-season.
Vincent Wagner's side won four, drew two and lost just one of their friendlies before beginning the new campaign with a 3-1 home victory over Duisburg in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal.
As for Bayer Leverkusen, they have endured a turbulent period since winning their maiden Bundesliga title in 2023-24 and finishing as runners-up the following season.
The North Rhine-Westphalia side have had three different managers since Xabi Alonso's departure just over 12 months ago, with Erik ten Hag's strange and brief three-match reign proving particularly unsuccessful.
Despite qualifying for the Conference League and finishing three points short of the Champions League places, Kasper Hjulmand was relieved of his duties and replaced by Carles Martínez Novell.
The new man in the BayArena dugout got off to a winning start in the DFB-Pokal at the weekend, with goals from Patrik Schick, Lucas Vazquez, Nathan Tella and Christian Kofane securing a comfortable 4-0 victory over Wehen.
Elversberg vs Bayer Leverkusen form guide & betting tips
| Elversberg | vs | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
W |
Form | W |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Form Table | N/A |
| 3 | Goals For | 4 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 0 |
W |
Form (All Comps) | W |
Whispers predicts: Elversberg 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Elversberg's historic promotion means they will begin life in the Bundesliga against one of the division's more experienced sides, and we expect Leverkusen's greater quality to prove decisive.
The hosts impressed during pre-season and made a winning start in the DFB-Pokal, but Leverkusen's 4-0 cup victory suggests they are already finding their rhythm under Martínez Novell.
We therefore expect the visitors to control the contest and claim a comfortable 3-0 victory in Elversberg.
Over 2.5 Goals is priced at 4/9, while a Bayer Leverkusen win is available at 11/10.
The exact 3-0 scoreline is priced at 15/2.
> Over 2.5 Goals at 4/9 | Likelihood: Probable
> Bayer Leverkusen to win at 11/10 | Likelihood: Probable
> Patrick Schick to score anytime at 4/7 | Likelihood: Possible
> Exact scoreline of 0-3 at 12/1 | Likelihood: Longshot