UEFA Europa League Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham United

April 18, 2024

The recently crowned Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, are now aiming to continue their outstanding form in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash against West Ham United on Thursday evening.

Following last Thursday's 2-0 defeat at the BayArena, The Hammers find themselves in a tricky position heading into this UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg.

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski repeatedly kept Bayer Leverkusen at bay but substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface both found the mark in the closing 10 minutes to propel the German side to a success that their remarkable 33-shot tally thoroughly deserved.

However, West Ham have already demonstrated their resilience by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to secure a commanding 5-1 victory against another Bundesliga outfit, Freiburg, earlier in the competition. Nonetheless, overcoming the newly crowned champions of Germany presents a considerably tougher challenge.

West Ham United Betting Preview (+300 at Everygame)

Despite the 2-0 defeat in Leverkusen last week, West Ham boss David Moyes believes his players still have “half a chance” in the return leg at the London Stadium.

David Moyes' side also suffered a disappointing 2-0 home loss to London rivals Fulham on Sunday. Thus, the Hammers sit 8^th in the Premier League table, two points behind Newcastle and Manchester United, who sit sixth and seventh respectively.

The Hammers' recent form, marked by inconsistency in their last nine competitive matches (winning just two of them), raises questions about their prospects. However, they possess ample experience against Bundesliga opponents, with this being their sixth encounter of the season (3-0-2 record, even though four of the matches were against the same opposition in the face of Freiburg).

At the London Stadium, West Ham still boasts a good record against German opposition (4 wins and 2 losses). Quiet confidence may brew within their ranks, especially considering their impressive track record of 14 wins from their last 17 European home games (losing just two).

The Europa Conference League champions can take significant encouragement from an 11-game home winning run in continental matches, since a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals two years ago. Yet, such statistics may pale into triviality against the irrepressible juggernaut of Bayer Leverkusen, who now reap the rewards of Xabi Alonso's total commitment to the cause.

The weekend's match against Fulham was marred by a concerning head injury to 19-year-old debutant George Earthy, who suffered a collision with teammate Edson Alvarez just eight minutes after stepping onto the field for his top-flight debut.

Earthy, previously an unused substitute in the first leg against Leverkusen, has been discharged from the hospital but is expected to miss Thursday's game as a precautionary measure. However, there's some positive news on the injury front as Alphonse Areola, Kalvin Phillips and Jarrod Bowen have all participated in training and could potentially feature in some capacity.

Unfortunately, manager David Moyes faces the absence of Lucas Paqueta and Emerson Palmieri due to untimely suspensions after the duo picked up yellow cards in the first leg. Additionally, Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who failed to complete the full 90 minutes in West Ham's last two matches, remains a doubt for the upcoming clash against the German champions.

In a massive boost for the East London outfit, Jarrod Bowen has returned to full training and could be in contention for Thursday evening. Edson Alvarez, who also missed the first leg through suspension, is set to return to the starting side for the Hammers.

Mohammed Kudus, meanwhile, has already bagged three goals against German opposition this season, including a late brace in the 5-0 thrashing of Freiburg last month.

Bayer Leverkusen Betting Preview (-125 at Everygame)

A weekend to never forget - Bayer Leverkusen clinched their maiden Bundesliga title with a resounding 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Sunday afternoon, extending their unbeaten streak to 43 consecutive matches in all competitions.

While an unbeaten treble remains a tantalizing possibility, Bayer Leverkusen's upcoming clash in England poses one of their toughest challenges yet, considering their solitary victory in European competition on English soil (D2, L7). However, it was on their last trip to England - a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League group stage in 2016-17.

Nonetheless, Xabi Alonso's side arrives with a remarkable track record of advancing in 13 out of 14 UEFA ties where they held an advantage entering the away second leg. Additionally, they have proven adept at unsettling opponents, with their adversaries receiving red cards in five of their last 11 competitive matches.

Unlike their quarter-final opponents, Leverkusen face minimal fitness concerns ahead of Thursday's second leg, with only two players, strikers Borja Iglesias and Adam Hlozek, nursing minor injuries. While Hlozek is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to an ankle issue, their absence hasn't been deeply felt.

The upcoming clash promises another intriguing battle between Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick for the striking position. Furthermore, the return of the highly-regarded Florian Wirtz, who notably secured a hat-trick against Werder Bremen as a second-half substitute, will further fortify Leverkusen's lineup.

With a wealth of talent across all positions, manager Alonso is poised to reintroduce formidable full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo to the starting lineup. Elsewhere, Exequiel Palacios may step in for Robert Andrich in the middle of the park, providing seamless versatility in Leverkusen's squad.

Wirtz, arguably one of the brightest young talents in European football nowadays, has a tremendous record for Bayer Leverkusen. The 20-year-old German international boasts seven goal contributions in this season's Europa League (three goals and four assists) and will be eager to build on.

Possible Starting Lineups of West Ham United and Bayer Leverkusen

West Ham United: Lukasz Fabianski - Vladimír Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell - Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez - Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, Maxwel Cornet - Michail Antonio. (4-2-3-1)

Bayer Leverkusen: Matej Kovar - Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba - Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo - Amine Adli, Florian Wirtz - Patrik Schick. (3-4-2-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

The weekend's exhaustive title celebrations may take a toll on Xabi Alonso's squad at the London Stadium. However, the German champions boast a nearly fully-fit squad and numerous options for rotation, posing a significant threat to a depleted West Ham side.

Considering a high rate of shots conceded and with Bowen still not fully recovered, the Hammers' European journey is likely to conclude quietly. Meanwhile, the relentless Bayer Leverkusen aim to maintain their pursuit of domestic and European silverware.

All in all, West Ham conceded just one goal in their four home matches in the Europa League this term, including back-to-back clean sheets against Freiburg, but they will need something exceptional to stop Bayer Leverkusen's firepower.

Spooky Express Free Play: Outcome And Totals - X2 and Over 2.5 Goals +110 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

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