West Ham have a mountain to climb following a 2-0 defeat in the opening leg of their quarter-final at the BayArena, where Leverkusen struck twice in the final ten minutes to resume control of the tie.
West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Betting Tips
- Bayer Leverkusen to win @ 17/20 with bet365
- Mohammed Kudus to score at any time @ 7/2 with bet365
- Aaron Cresswell to be shown a card @ 9/2 with bet365
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Xabi Alonso’s side have since claimed the Bundesliga title, ending Bayern Munich's run of 11 successive league wins with a 5-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen on Sunday.
With Leverkusen on a remarkable 43-game unbeaten run and a famous treble still up for grabs, Hammers supporters will know all too well that their team have their work cut out.
Leverkusen can finish the job in style
It may have looked like West Ham were competitive in the opening leg in Germany, having been on course to hold Leverkusen to a goalless draw until Jonas Hofmann’s 83rd-minute strike.
But, in truth, that was the least the Bundesliga champions deserved as they enjoyed 73 per cent possession, won the shot count 33-1 and forced 10 corners to their visitors’ one.
While Alonso’s side had 13 efforts on target, the Hammers managed only one and even without home advantage it is difficult to see those statistics being reversed.
Leverkusen don’t need to push forward given they inherit a 2-0 lead but West Ham do and that could leave the Londoners vulnerable to the visitors’ pace and power on the break.
The German side are yet to taste a single defeat this season, going 43 games unbeaten in all competitions with 38 of those matches resulting in victory.
Leverkusen have won 20 of their last 22 fixtures and with West Ham missing some key individuals, including suspended pair Lucas Paqueta and Emerson, with top scorer Jarrod Bowen an injury doubt, there is no reason to go against the obvious.
West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 1: Bayer Leverkusen to win @ 17/20 with bet365
Kudus is the Hammers’ last hope
With Paqueta missing and Bowen likely to join the Brazilian on the sidelines, all eyes will be on Mohammed Kudus as he bids to dig West Ham out of a hole.
David Moyes’ side face an uphill battle but there is no point going down without a fight and in Kudus they boast a progressive forward that can cause Leverkusen problems.
The Germans have conceded in five of their last eight Europa League matches, which offers West Ham some hope, and in the opening leg it was Kudus that looked most likely to inflict any damage.
The Ghanaian international had West Ham’s only shot on target and he also won five fouls, showing that on occasions Leverkusen had no other way to contain him.
Kudus has 13 goals in 39 appearances this season - only Bowen has more - and he looks a big price to bolster that tally on Thursday given he has scored five times from only eight starts in Europe.
West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 2: Mohammed Kudus to score at any time @ 7/2 with bet365
Cresswell could grab the referees attention
Emerson’s yellow card at the BayArena has ruled him out of the home leg and that means Aaron Cresswell, who played 90 minutes at left centre-back in Germany, could revert back to his favoured wing-back role.
Injuries have restricted Cresswell to only 13 appearances this season, but he has been booked on three occasions, including in the home leg against Leverkusen’s Bundesliga rivals Freiburg in the previous round of this competition.
The 34-year-old was an unused substitute in Sunday's 2-0 loss at home to Fulham, suggesting that Moyes may be keeping him fresh for this, and it is easy to see him being given a tough time by Leverkusen’’s lively forwards.
West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 3: Aaron Cresswell to be shown a card @ 9/2 with bet365