West Ham vs Leverkusen: Europa League preview and betting tips

West Ham vs Leverkusen or Soucek and Coufal against Schick and Kovar. The visitors enter the game with a 2 goal lead from the opening game, boosted by the home title. The match will be played on Thursday 18 April at 21:00. Sport 2 will offer live coverage.

Where to watch West Ham vs Leverkusen?

The return leg, which could feature four Czech national team players, will take place on Thursday 18 April. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 at the London Stadium.

West Ham will attempt a miracle

A win over Leverkusen this season cannot be called anything other than a miracle. It would be even more of a miracle if West Ham managed to win by at least 2 goals after 90 minutes and send the game to extra time. In addition, the home side will miss the out-of-form Paqueta, which is undoubtedly a big loss, they will also miss goalkeeper Areola, and to make matters worse, the injured hip will keep the Hammers’ top scorer Bowen out of the game. This is not the end of the list of unavailable players of the London club. Another injured player is winter signing Phillips. With these absences, the chances of promotion are probably quite minimal.

Kudus will be the home team’s biggest offensive weapon. The Ghanaian winger has already scored 5 goals in the Europa League. Especially his dynamism and great dribbling can cause Leverkusen’s defenders big problems.

Leverkusen hopes to win the treble

Bayer have already completed task number 1 by winning the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. At the same time, Leverkusen are in the final of the German Cup, where they will face second-placed Kaiserslautern on 25 May. Xabi Alonso’s charges are the furthest away from the trophy in the Europa League. However, their opening game of the quarter-finals went very well. Late goals from Haffman and Boniface give the German club a decent chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Of course, Boniface is the biggest threat to the home defence. The Nigerian cannonballer, returning from injury, has scored in 2 games in a row. This season he has already scored 18. The other threat is none other than Czech striker Schick, who is the starter in Leverkusen’s double-header with Qarabag and has 11 goals this season.

West Ham vs Leverkusen odds

Betting tip – Leverkusen to win

The home team, mainly due to absentees, is probably not going to be a sufficient opponent for a rampant Leverkusen. Bayer have picked up some excellent form and should add their minimum 2 goal contribution this time around. Xabi Alonso might give his key players at least one half-time off, so expect West Ham to score, but it probably won’t be enough to turn the tide.