With their historic Bundesliga title all but assured and Xabi Alonso committed to the club’s immediate future, Bayer Leverkusen look for two more notable achievements when they host West Ham in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-finals.
The German team remains the only team in Europe’s top five leagues not to suffer a single defeat in the entire 2023/24 campaign, as it continually refuses to give up at the end of matches.
Even getting to this point required two heroic efforts late in the match, as they dramatically dispatched Azerbaijani Qarabag with goals from Patrik Schick in the 93rd and 98th minutes, just a week after the first leg ended in a draw by the same player. in the 92nd minute. Even in the league they continue to gain points with late goals, with goals in the 88th and 91st minutes giving them a 2-1 victory over Hoffenheim at the end of March.
Defending Europa Conference League champions West Ham sit seventh in the Premier League table amid a furious battle for the European places, but know that derailing Leverkusen’s seemingly destined season would provide not only a famous result but a platform to build another deep European career.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Bayer 04 vs West Ham and bet on Europa League matches
Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham prediction, odds
- Lean Money Line: Bayer Leverkusen (-260 on DraftKings)
- Score prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 West Ham
Bayer Leverkusen have played a lot with fire in recent months against inferior teams, but thanks to their huge lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, they have been given the opportunity to focus on the European trip.
While Patrik Schick has been a late-game hero on a few occasions recently, they got starting forward Victor Boniface back from a long-term injury over the weekend, and he could be deployed from the start for the first time since before. He left for the African Cup of Nations. The hosts are in better form and have better players, so it is wise to back them for an early start in this two-legged tie.
