Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs West Ham. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Bayer 04 Leverkusen will host West Ham United FC in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final match at the Bay Arena. The fixture will take place on Friday, April 12, beginning at 00:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Bayer Leverkusen News & Current Form: 

Bayer Leverkusen bear the unfortunate nickname of ‘Neverkusen’, bestowed upon them due to persistent misfortune despite long being one of Germany’s strongest clubs, with trophies constantly eluding their grasp.

However, this season, under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen continue to make history. The team has remained unbeaten in 36 matches across all competitions, charging towards trophies. Along the way, they shattered the historical record for consecutive undefeated matches among Bundesliga clubs, which was previously held by FC Bayern Munich at 32 matches. Additionally, Bayer have already amassed 76 points, breaking the club record. Surely, Alonso will motivate his players to complete the season and calendar year undefeated, with Bayer’s last defeat dating back to May 27th in the previous campaign.

In the German championship, the Black and Reds are 16 points ahead of Bayern, who will give up the title for the first time in 11 years. In their upcoming home match against SV Werder Bremen on April 14th, they could clinch the title prematurely. It is anticipated that Alonso’s side will seize this opportunity to crown themselves champions in front of their supporters, with the championship likely to be decided this Sunday.

Furthermore, Bayer have reached the final of the DFB-Pokal, where they will face FC Kaiserslautern on May 25th, a team currently competing in the Bundesliga 2. Under Alonso’s guidance, Bayer embarked on their cup journey from the round of 32 and effortlessly dispatched all opponents along the way.

In fact, the real fight occurred only in the quarterfinals, when Bayer hosted VfB Stuttgart, who are also very good this season and will surely play in the UEFA Champions League next season. 

That meeting ended 3:2 in favor of the hosts with a winning goal by Jonathan Tah in the 90th minute. In the semifinals, Leverkusen defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf with a score of 4:0 and quietly booked their place in the deciding match of the Cup. So the future hosts have a historic chance not only for a national double, but also for a hat-trick if they manage to win the second most important European Cup.

In the group stage of the Europa League Bayer have performed brilliantly, scoring 18 points in six rounds. On their field, the Germans won all three meetings, defeating Swedish BK Hacken (4:0), Norwegian Molde FK (5:1) and Azerbaijani Qarabag FK (5:1). The victories on the road were more modest with a difference of 1-2 goals, but still very confident.

Under Xabi Alonso’s management, Bayer hasn’t lost in 36 matches this season

In the round of 16 the Red and Blacks again met with Qarabag and were on the verge of departure. In the first match the Azerbaijani club twice took the lead and played sharper in attack, but the German team recovered both times, thanks to goals by Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick.

In the return leg, it seemed that there would be no issues for Habi Alonso’s charges, especially after their opponents were reduced to ten men in the first half. However, the Azerbaijani side once again took a 2:0 lead and came close to progressing further. In the 72nd minute, Jeremie Frimpong pulled one back, yet Bayer remained behind until the 93rd minute. Once again, Neverkusen were salvaged by Schick: the Czech forward first leveled the score, then minutes later, scored the winning goal, denying the visitors the opportunity to force extra time.

Late goals have become the hallmark of this Bayer team. Leverkusen have repeatedly snatched victories in the last moments when everyone assumed Alonso’s side would surely falter. This speaks to the incredible mental and psychological resilience the Spanish tactician has done, while his coaching staff have kept the players in top physical shape throughout the season.

The shining star of this team is 20-year-old Florian Wirtz, who has amassed 32 points (goals + assists) in 39 matches. Even without considering Wirtz’s phenomenal statistics, he deserves nothing but praise. Despite his relatively young age, the midfielder displays remarkably mature football. It appears he is a player without weaknesses: he possesses excellent vision, dribbles well at speed, and executes a significant amount of off-the-ball work.

Naturally, this hasn’t gone unnoticed by Germany’s national team coach, Julian Nagelsmann, as youngster is constantly called up to the national squad. In a recent friendly against France, Wirtz scored a goal just ten seconds after a pass from the returning Toni Kroos. Consequently, the DFB-Team won 2:0 in Lyon.

Other leaders of the squad include 23-year-old Nigerian Victor Boniface and his Dutch counterpart Jeremie Frimpong. European top clubs are already eyeing them, and undoubtedly, Bayer will receive solid offers for both players at the end of the season.

Experienced players like Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo, and Schick bring calmness to the team even in challenging situations, which is also one of the reasons behind the last-minute victories. Schick, in particular, can be considered the team’s top marksman in the Europa League, with five goals to his name.

Nigerian Boniface follows closely with four goals, securing the second spot on the list. He was absent until the international break and consequently in the previous round of the tournament, has returned to fitness and stands a chance to appear on the field on Friday, as well as midfielder Arthur who recovered from his injury in time. Only Adam Hlozek, who sustained an ankle injury against FC Union Berlin last weekend, is unavailable to face the Hammers.

Frimpong, a player for Bayer, underscores the team’s singular focus on the upcoming match against West Ham:

“Our focus is clear, we’re only thinking about the game against West Ham. We want to give ourselves a good starting point for the second leg in London next week. It won’t be easy because West Ham have a fantastic team, but these are exactly the games we look forward to. We want to test ourselves against top teams.”

“Obviously defeat to AS Roma in the semi-finals of last season’s competition wasn’t easy for us, but perhaps that’s one reason why we have a stronger mentality this season. We want to win every game and just don’t like losing.”

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West Ham News & Current Form:

In the English Premier League, wards of David Moyes lag behind fifth-placed Aston Villa FC by 12 points in the race for a European qualification spot. Currently occupying 7th place in the league table, the visitors secured a victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers FC last weekend with a scoreline of 1:2, putting an end to a four-match winless streak (three draws and one defeat).

In the latter half of the season, the team has been plagued by setbacks: out of 17 matches in 2024, they have managed only four wins. Moreover, the Hammers concede the most goals (56) among the top 15 clubs in the English championship. 

The team’s performance on March 30th away at Newcastle United FC was indicative, as they suffered a 3:4 defeat. However, it’s worth noting that Moyes’ charges also settled for draws against Aston Villa (1:1) and Tottenham Hotspur FC (1:1). However, in both cases, the Hammers played at their home stadium, and at times, the opponents appeared more preferable, launching more attacks, taking more shots, and having more possession of the ball.

Mohammed Kudus scored 5 goals for West Ham in the current Europa League campaign

West Ham, winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League last year, have already claimed victory over a German club in the current UEL campaign. This occurred in the previous round against SC Freiburg. In Germany, at the Europa Park stadium, the English side suffered a minimal defeat, but in the return leg, they left no chances for the opponent, winning 5:0.

Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring as early as the 9th minute, followed by goals from Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell, and Mohammed Kudus to seal the visitors’ fate. This result wasn’t a consequence of the English club’s solid defensive efforts but rather a lackluster display from the opponent considering their level of play.

The top scorer for the team in the Europa League this season is 23-year-old midfielder Kudus, who has already netted five goals. Both Kudus and Paqueta are the leaders of this collective, and if they fail to perform, it will be very difficult to count on a positive result in Leverkusen. It’s worth noting that Bowen will miss the match due to injury, which is a significant problem for the visitors.

In the Premier League, Bowen is the team’s top scorer, emerging as the revelation of this season. The midfielder has already surpassed his personal record for goals in the EPL — he currently has 15 goals to his name (previously, his record was 12 goals in the 2021/22 season). Additionally, the player ranks sixth in the overall list of the top division goal scorers and is regularly called up to the England national team, likely to feature in the upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 championship in Germany.

West Ham are motivated in their Europa League matches — in all other competitions, except the Eurocup, their fate has been sealed, and there’s a high likelihood that we won’t see them in continental competition next season. However, Moyes’ team doesn’t know how to play for a result, and their predisposition to crises and instability adds another layer of complexity.

Approaching the upcoming match against Bayer Leverkusen, the English side comes with a very marginal reserve of strength, as their key players are visibly exhausted. The Scottish coach hasn’t given them the opportunity to rest, fearing it would disrupt the team’s rhythm. In the match against Tottenham, Moyes didn’t make a single substitution. Although no player is listed in the Hammers’ injury list, it indicates that Alonso utilizes the available resources much more efficiently than the Scotsman.

Winger Maxwel Cornet returns to West Ham’s squad after suffering a minor injury before the international break, while goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and midfielder Edson Alvarez are still absent (the Mexican will miss the match due to accumulated yellow cards).

The captain of the Hammers Kurt Zouma expresses his dream of lifting the trophy and the team’s hunger for more success:

“Getting my hands on the trophy and lifting it would be awesome. It’s something you dream of as a child. Just winning a trophy was amazing. We did that last year, and now we want more, because we just want to win as many games as possible and keep making our fans happy.”

“We know it’s going to be very tough, but that would have been the case against any of the teams we could have drawn at this stage of the competition. We know they haven’t lost for a long time now, but it’s up to us to be the team to change that. We need to beat the best if we want to get through and go all the way, and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”

“We won the Conference League last year, and we got to the Europa League semi-finals the season before, so we have a lot of experience and belief. We know what we’re capable of, and we’ll go to Leverkusen full of belief.”

Bayer Leverkusen form guide: W-W-W-W-W-W

West Ham form guide: D-W-D-L-D-W

Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Head-To-Head Record:

• August 5, 2023: Bayer Leverkusen 4 – 0 West Ham (International Club Friendly).

Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Predicted XI:

Bayer Leverkusen’s possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick.

West Ham’s possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos; Johnson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Emerson; Kudus, Paqueta; Antonio.

Statistical preview of the match Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham:

• Bayer’s First XI average age is 26.8 years, and West Ham’s First XI average age is 29.4 years.
• The total value of Bayer’s squad is 594  mln euros, while the total of the English side comes up to 446 mln euros.
• Artur Soares Dias has been appointed as the center referee. The referee has already served 18 games this season, showing an average of 4.7 yellow cards and also whistles 25 fouls per game. 
• In 6 out of 8 Europa League matches Bayer did not concede in the first half. 
• West Ham failed to score in the first 45 minutes in 62% of meetings in the UEL. 
• Bayer’s matches in the current Europa League draw have an average of 9.13 corner kicks, while West Ham’s games have an average of 8.75 corners. 
• Bayer’s goal scoring average on xG in this tournament is 2.22 goals scored, while West Ham’s is 1.38.
• Bayer won on possession in all 4 home games of the Europa League draw, controlling the game on average 64% of the time. Hammers on the road were able to achieve victory in only half of the matches, possessing the ball just over 50%.
• Bayer in the current season have not lost a single official match — Alonso’s wards have already won 36 matches in all tournaments this season.
• Since the second half of March, West Ham have played four games and won just one game.
• In the current season, Bayer have won 4 home European Cup matches with a total score of 17:4.

What has been said before the match:

Xabi Alonso, coach of Bayer, stresses the importance of maintaining patience yet playing with tempo to achieve a balanced approach between attack and defense in the upcoming match:

 “We need to play with patience but a lot of tempo tomorrow, and have a good balance between our attack and defense. Only by doing that will we manage to get a good result in the second leg in London.”

“We all feel closely connected as one with Bayer. Everyone in the company gives us tremendous support. Then there are our great fans. We in the club are working to give everyone in the city and in the company even more joy at the end of the season. We can take another important step towards that against West Ham tomorrow.”

Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Prediction:

Bayer 04 are simply unstoppable this season, they are on a roll producing superb performances one after another and are one step away from the Bundesliga title with their eyes set on conquering the treble. The Black and Reds are second-best in the Bundesliga regarding offensive productivity (2.46 goals per game). And in the Europa League, they consistently deliver as many goals as it takes to win – even in the final seconds of a game. The Company’s Eleven have scored 24 goals in 8 games in the current Eurocup campaign. The return to action of Victor Boniface will help the team become even better in this aspect. Bayer’s defence also impresses with their solidity: only 0.75 conceded on average per match considering all competitions. Xabi Alonso’s boys are on fire, showing an amazing level of chemistry and footballing fluidity, while keeping their unbeaten streak alive is also seen as a trophy in its own right. The Germans demonstrate a quality of football that the current West Ham is far from. The leaders of the Hammers are fatigued and David Moyes has no trump cards up his sleeve to avoid defeat. That said, the 22/23 Conference League trophy holders can surprise too, progression in the Europa League is the only remaining motivation and objective for the Londoners for this season. Given that the Black and Reds have conceded in 7 of their 10 previous Europa League home games, the Hammers will be looking to net at least once. Realising this, in this match Bayer will try to build a maximum margin before the trip to Foggy Albion. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Bayer 04 Leverkusen will win with an individual total over 1.5 – Yes.

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