Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets Europa League quarter final tie
Bayer Leverkusen take on West Ham in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie at the BayArena on Thursday, April 11.
The Hammers won last season's Europa Conference League, but hosts Leverkusen are on the verge of sealing the Bundesliga title and are hot favourites for the 8pm kick-off, which is live on TNT Sports 2.
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Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in 41 matches in all competitions this season and Xabi Alonso's side are 16 points clear of Bundesliga powerhouses Bayern Munich in the German top-flight.
They could wrap up the league this weekend, but their immediate focus is on establishing a first-leg advantage in Thursday's Europa League quarter-final clash with West Ham.
Leverkusen rode their luck in the round of 16, going 2-0 down in both legs against Qarabag before rallying to claim a 5-4 aggregate victory.
However, only Liverpool are above the Bundesliga leaders in the trophy betting and West Ham's chances of causing an upset are hampered by the likely absences of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, influential midfielder Edson Alvarez and top scorer Jarrod Bowen.
The Hammers thumped Freiburg 5-0 in the last-16 second leg in east London, but they had lost the first leg 1-0 and face an even tougher trip to Germany this week.
Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Tips
Leverkusen beat West Ham 4-0 in a pre-season friendly in August and, remarkably, they have not lost any of their 41 competitive matches since then.
They have a wealth of attacking threats, with prolific wing-backs Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong in stunning form and exciting Germany youngster Florian Wirtz flourishing behind the frontmen.
Patrik Schick and the fit-again Victor Boniface are jostling for a start at centre-forward and West Ham's defence may struggle to keep their hosts quiet, especially as industrious holding midfielder Alvarez is suspended for the visitors.
Leverkusen are not rock-solid at the back, as Qarabag demonstrated in their dramatic last-16 defeat, so a 3-1 home win looks a good bet in the first leg.
Alonso's men are averaging 2.71 goals per home game in the Bundesliga, while West Ham have conceded 23 times in their last 10 Premier League matches.
James Ward-Prowse's set-piece deliveries are one of West Ham's key weapons, but Leverkusen also pose a significant threat from dead-ball situations.
Only Bayern have scored more goals from set-pieces than Leverkusen's 13 in the 2023-24 Bundesliga and towering centre-back Jonathan Tah is their main aerial menace.
The Germany international, who stands at 6ft 5in, has scored four goals in the Bundesliga and two in just three starts in this term's DFB-Pokal.
Tah has had seven shots at goal in his last four Bundesliga appearances and he looks a good bet to have at least one effort on target against a West Ham defence who are expected to come under plenty of pressure at the BayArena
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