WLB Analysis: Europe’s Most Feared Home Record

FORGET Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, PSG and Chelsea. Mark O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) outlines a European side that deserves maximum respect when playing at home.

Europe’s Most Feared Home Record

After dominating possession for the majority of the 90 minutes, creating bags of chances and unable to force a goal, it looked like a surprise 0-0 draw could be on the cards. That was until a late own-goal earned Hannover 96 a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, to lift the hosts into a top-six position in the Bundesliga.

It’s a result that’s unlikely to leap off the cards, especially on a weekend that saw Celta Vigo (20/1) come away from the Camp Nou with a victory and Palermo (7/1) win away in Milan. Hannover were rated as 13/10 shots to see off Eintracht and in hindsight, it was and should have been the best bet you would have placed this weekend.

Why? Well the 96ers have an astonishingly strong record when playing at the HDI-Arena. Looking at records from 2010/11 to the present day, Die Roten have played 73 Bundesliga games at their base in Lower Saxony. And Hannover have won 43 (59%) of those matches, losing only 12 (16%). Transferring that home win-ratio into odds, Hannover should be chalked up at 7/10 when playing in front of their home fans – Ladbrokes were offering 13/10!

What’s just as impressive is the way in which Die Roten have done their damage. They’ve seen W-W double results in 30/73 (41%) of those matches and won by a margin of two or more goals in 20/73 (27%). This season Tayfun Korkut has overseen four wins from five outings at the HDI-Arena – only high-flying Borussia Monchengladbach escaped without defeat.

Next Up

The next team to visit Hannover are Bayer Leverkusen. What price are the 96ers available at? It's a peculiar one but 23/8 (3.88) with BetBRIGHT – that's not far off 3/1! The match doesn’t take place until the 22nd November but it’s worth having a nibble now before the price potentially drops.

Bayer have managed just one win in five Bundesliga road trips despite four of those games coming against the current bottom-five. They've also bagged just the one victory on their travels in seven matches in all competitions.

If you're still not convinced then how about the 17/20 from Bet365 that Hannover won't lose? That's what's on offer in the Double Result market. Remember they've only been felled in 12/73 Bundesliga home games in the past four years!

Best Bets

Hannover 96 v Bayer Leverkusen – Hannover 96 to win (23/8 BetBRIGHT)

Hannover 96 v Bayer Leverkusen – Hannover double chance (17/20 Bet365)