Leverkusen will face Hoffenheim in their opening match of the season, and I think that's a match Leverkusen should be able to win easily. On paper, Leverkusen is the clear favorite, Hoffenheim is a mediocre team that almost got relegated last season. Therefore, I think this is a great opportunity for Ten Hag to secure his first win, which would help him gain a lot of support from the fans at BayArena. However, if an upset were to happen, Ten Hag would immediately face sharp criticism from the fans.
Logically, Leverkusen should have won this match more easily, since their ranking in the Bundesliga is higher than Hoffenheim’s. However, keep in mind that during their pre-season, Leverkusen were embarrassingly defeated by Flamengo’s U-20 team. That result shows it’s possible for Leverkusen to lose to Hoffenheim. or even if they were held to a draw by Hoffenheim, it would be quite embarrassing for them and ETH, since they played at their home ground.
Erik Ten Hag was primarily on the bench in that Flamengo u20 match. Considering this, Leverkusen, with their best players, must win against Hoffenheim. Even a draw wouldn't be a satisfactory result. Therefore, Leverkusen has no choice but to win. We'll see what happens this weekend. ETH must reward the management who trusted them with a victory.