West Ham United - Bayer Leverkusen predictions and free betting tips [18/04/2024]

On Thursday, 18th April, as part of the return match of the quarterfinals of the Europa League, West Ham United will host Bayer Leverkusen. Last weekend, Xabi Alonso's side sealed the desired championship title in Germany, while the hosts are in crisis, winning only once in the last six matches.

Predicted Lineups

West Ham: Fabianski; Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Coufal, Alvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Johnson; Kudus, Antonio.

Bayer: Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Stanisic; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Boniface.

Stadium

The match will be held at the London Olympic Stadium.  

West Ham

Last week, West Ham United held out against Bayer Leverkusen for a long time, but like many other teams before them, the English side ultimately conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes (2:0). As a result, David Moyes' side found themselves in a difficult situation before the rematch. They had previously topped their group, ahead of Freiburg, Olympiakos and Backa Topola, before knocking Freiburg out again, this time in the 1/8 final.

The Londoners currently sit 8th in the Premier League, but recent team results have disappointed fans: last weekend the hosts were defeated by Fulham (0:2), and have only managed one win in their last six matches in all competitions. Moreover, in the last two European knockout matches, the London team were knocked out, losing the first match by at least two goals. 

Bayer Leverkusen

On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen were rewarded for their clear superiority in the first match with two goals (2:0) from Hofmann and Bonifazi, allowing the "pharmacists" to approach the return match with a comfortable advantage. The Germans surpassed their opponents in all metrics (73% ball possession, 33 shots on goal vs. 1 by West Ham). It must be noted that Bayer Leverkusen is currently one of the best teams in the world, not having lost a single match in all competitions this season.

Alonso's side are unstoppable this season, and Xabi's men have now won 10 consecutive Bundesliga matches and celebrated their victory over Werder Bremen 5:0 on Sunday, officially securing their first league title of the 21st century! At the same time, the red-blacks have reached the final of the German Cup, where they will face Fortuna Dusseldorf next month. Bayer Leverkusen's last defeat on the road (and indeed their last in official matches) came on 27 May last year against Bochum (3:0). 

Head-to-head

The match a week ago ended in a convincing victory for Bayer Leverkusen with a 2:0 scoreline, and prior to this, the teams had never played against each other.

Predictions for the match West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen

A West Ham comeback this week seems unthinkable for several reasons. Firstly, the hosts will be without a number of key performers (including Paqueta) due to injuries and suspensions; secondly, Bayer are in sensational form and have been winning games in all competitions. Alonso's men are simply unstoppable this season, so I predict their victory in London.

Over/Under Predictions

West Ham have scored just one goal in their last three matches in all competitions, while they have kept a clean sheet (!) in four consecutive matches. I confidently bet on West Ham's individual total of less than 1 goal.  

Corners Predictions

Bayer, despite their advantage in scoring, will dictate the initiative throughout the match, so I predict a victory for Bayer in corners.                                                                             

Bookings Predictions

In essence, the outcome of the confrontation is already decided - even the capital club's supporters do not believe in the success of their favourites. I do not expect any rough play here, so I predict less than 3.5 bookings in total.                                                                       

Score Predictions

I predict a 0:1 scoreline in favour of Bayer Leverkusen.