Despite a 2-0 loss in Germany, West Ham has ”half a chance” yet according to manager David Moyes. While a 2-0 deficit against the recently crowned German champions is nothing to scoff at, it is also true that Bayer Leverkusen has shown some shaky performances that were ultimately saved by clutch goals. And it is exactly that occasional shakiness that The Hammers will likely be looking to exploit.
West Ham United Team News
West Ham might find themselves in an unfortunate position, but they did show in the previous round of the Europa League that they are more than capable of erasing deficits. Back then Freiburg managed to snatch a 1-0 win in Germany, but were soundly defeated by David Moyes in England with 5-0. But Bayer Leverkusen will be a much tougher battle for West Ham and their recent form is inconsistent. Looking at their last 10 competitive games we will see just 3 wins. What is more alarming is the number of losses – 4. But at least in the Europa league, The Hammers can muster some confidence from the fact that they maintain a 100% home record in the competition.
Bayer Leverkusen Team News
The newly crowned German champions can now entirely focus on the Europa League as their dreams of a treble are certainly possible. Xabi Alonso has done wonders so far with his team, but it must be said that some of his team’s wins have come with goals deep in stoppage time. In the previous round, Bayer Leverkusen needed 1 goal in added time to reach a draw in Azerbaijan and a whole 2 goals deep in stoppage time to eliminate Qarabag. This knack for scoring late goals seems to be a season-long theme, but it does raise the question of when the luck will run out. And for all of their attacking prowess, Bayer Leverkusen have also displayed that they are susceptible to conceding. But thus far, the philosophy employed by the team is to simply outscore the opposition.
Head-to-Head-Games
The first leg game in Germany was the first time in which these two teams met. Bayer managed to snatch a key 2-0 victory at home and gained an important advantage ahead of the second fixture in England.
West Ham United – Bayer Leverkusen Betting Prediction
Despite West Ham’s general lacklustre form as of late, the only place where they have shown consistency is in their Europa League home games. They have managed to win all such games and will likely look for inspiration from that fact. Bayer Leverkusen is a team that has displayed their scoring aptitude on multiple occasions this season, but what they have also shown, especially in continental fixtures, is that they can be unconvincing away from home and would often concede and then need miracles in added time. Thus, my pick here would be for both teams to score – West Ham will certainly try to overcome the previous loss and Bayer Leverkusen will surely try to score at least 1 goal here to make their job easier.
Betting Tip: Both Teams To Score: Yes
Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
Odds: 1.65
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