Bayer Leverkusen - West Ham United predictions and free betting tips [11/04/2024]

On Thursday, 11th April, as part of the first match of the quarterfinals of the Europa League, Bayer Leverkusen will host West Ham on their home turf. The 'Hammers' managed to beat Freiburg in the previous round, while the team managed by Xabi Alonso dealt with Qarabag under the most unbelievable circumstances.

Predicted Lineups

Bayer: Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick.
West Ham: Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos; Johnson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Emerson; Kudus, Paqueta; Antonio. 

Stadium

The encounter will take place at the BayArena in Leverkusen. 

Bayer

In the previous round, Bayer Leverkusen was perilously close to suffering their first defeat of the season. In Azerbaijan, the 'Pharmacists' managed a 2:2 draw with Qarabag, and a week later, performed a real miracle. Despite trailing by two goals during the second half, the Germans equalised the score at the 95th minute, and a few seconds later, scored the winning goal, ensuring their ticket to the quarterfinals. 

Additionally, Xabi Alonso's charges are at the top of the Bundesliga standings and are preparing to clinch the title after 11 seasons of Bayern's hegemony. Prior to the international break, the hosts had claimed 7 consecutive victories, and in April, extended this streak with wins over Hoffenheim (2:1) and Union Berlin (0:1). It is also worth mentioning that the team has reached the final of the German Cup, having beaten Fortuna Düsseldorf 4:0 last Wednesday. 

West Ham

Last year's Conference League winners, West Ham, have already scalped a German club in the current Europa League. This took place in the previous round, against Freiburg. The Hammers lost 1:0 in the first match at the Europa Park stadium, but redeemed themselves the following week, leaving no chances for their opponents (5:0). In the autumn, the visitors claimed first place in their group, outpacing Freiburg, Olympiacos and Bacău Topola.

In the Premier League, David Moyes's charges are 12 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa in the European competitions race. Currently sitting in 7th place, the visitors claimed a 2:1 victory over Wolverhampton last weekend, ending a four-round winless run (three draws and one defeat). It should be noted that the London team struggles away from home: in all competitions, the visitors have only won two of their last eight encounters! 

Head-to-head

These teams met in a pre-season friendly match in August last year, with the Germans coming out on top (4:0).  

Match Prediction for Bayer v West Ham

Unstoppable in all competitions this season, Bayer Leverkusen are expected to secure a home victory and prepare for the second leg in London with a comfortable advantage. West Ham has been faltering in 2024, having won only twice in their last eight away games. Given the visitors' personnel losses, it makes sense to bet on a triumph for the 'Pharmacists'. 

Total Prediction

Alonso's charges understand the importance of getting a positive result on their home ground, especially considering that the hosts have never left the field without scoring at least two goals in their last eight encounters. Hence, I predict the individual total of the favourite to be over 1.5 goals.  

Corner Prediction

From the very first minutes, Bayer will besiege the opponent's goal and maintain initiative throughout the match. Thus, betting on the hosts' individual corner total being over 5.5 seems reasonable.  

Yellow Card Prediction

West Ham are playing a defensive game and will spend most of the time defending, and it seems unlikely that they will be able to withstand Bayer's rapid attack without a plethora of fouls. I expect the visitors to come out on top when it comes to yellow cards.

Score Prediction

I would go for a precise score of 2:0 in favour of Bayer.