Bayer Leverkusen hope to extend their fairytale season when they host West Ham United in their Europa League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday. The winner in this two-legged tie will get to face AC Milan or AS Roma in the semis. Leverkusen are having a dream season under Xabi Alonso and are on course for a treble. The Bundesliga and German Cup are almost secured and it won’t be a surprise to see the bigger effort placed in this competition. Last weekend they went 16 points ahead of Bayern Munich in the league and could win the title this weekend. They will be looking to warm up for that with a win over the Europa Conference League holders here. Eliminated at the semis last season, Leverkusen seem like a team that can go all the way this term. They haven't tasted defeat at all this season, winning 36 of their 41 matches so far. Alonso’s side has played at home 21 times this season, and won 19. In that run, they carry a seven-game winning streak at home ahead of this game. In the Europa League, this will be their ninth game this season. They’ve won seven of the previous eight.
West Ham United aren’t having a great season so far, and this is their only chance at winning silverware. Having won the Conference League title last season, they’ll be keen on adding the Europa League to their list of trophies. This would also present their only chance of participating in Europe next season. It however isn’t an easy task ahead of them, considering the opponent they are facing. The Hammers have also suffered defeats in their last two visits to Germany. They eliminated a German side, Freiburg to get to this stage, but that was after a 1-0 first leg loss. David Moyes’ side turned things around to win 5-1 on aggregate, but this will be a tougher assignment. In their eight Europa League matches this season, they suffered two defeats. Both losses came away from home. Generally, West Ham United haven't been strong on the road. In their last 11 away matches, they lost seven times.
Bayer Leverkusen are eyeing a treble and two seem almost secure. It is the Europa League that still looks far away, thus we expect them to give their all here. That won’t be the best West Ham want to hear ahead of this game, especially after losing two of three matches in Germany. Their hosts haven't lost all season, while West Ham are coming from a poor run in the Premier League. The visitors have an inferior record in the Europa League this season too. Our prediction for Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham United is for Bayer Leverkusen to win.