Top German football expert Kevin Hatchard speaks exclusively to Hammers News to preview West Ham’s big Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.
Kevin Hatchard is a man with extensive knowledge of European and specifically German football.
So who better to run the rule over West Ham’s massive Europa League quarter-final tie with German invincibles Bayer Leverkusen?
When Leverkusen were drawn to face David Moyes’ side in the last eight, the Hammers were made big underdogs.
With Xabi Alonso’s side unbeaten across all competitions at the time and on course to win the Bundesliga title, that was understandable.
Well that remains the case ahead of the first leg with West Ham’s opponents now 41 games unbeaten and one victory off sealing the Bundesliga title next Sunday.
The Hammers head to Germany for the first leg on Thursday night before hoping to make the most of home advantage at the London Stadium in the second leg a week later.
West Ham can burst Bayer bubble says expert
There has been a feeling among West Ham fans that their team could rise to the occasion of being the first to inflict defeat on the Germans.
And given the gulf between most Premier League and German sides, many West Ham fans feel they are being written off too soon by the media. That’s despite being beaten 4-0 by Bayer in pre-season – albeit before the Hammers had made any of their excellent summer signings.
Well Bayer Leverkusen are certainly not taking Moyes’ men lightly. And German football expert Hatchard insists the tie will be a lot tighter than many think.
Hatchard, who is a regular analyst on the likes of Sky Sports, has spoken to Hammers News in detail about the clash.
He says West Ham CAN burst the Bayer bubble.
And he discusses where the game could be won and lost, delivered his prediction and has highlighted the key players West Ham must watch out for besides the obvious threats such as Florian Wirtz and the flying fullbacks.
Hatchard’s preview also comes with a big warning to Moyes about his tactics for the clashes as well as what fans and the team can expect in Leverkusen and at the BayArena.
Moyes warned over tactical approach
“I think Leverkusen are favourites, and the fact they are now 16 points clear at the top of the league means they can play strong sides in the Europa League,” Hatchard told Damien Lucas for Hammers News.
“Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay at the BayArena gives them an enormous boost. However, it’s actually a tighter tie than some are suggesting, and I’d maybe say it was 60-40.
“I don’t think any draw against a Premier League side is seen as easy, and there’s a respect for West Ham after what they did to Freiburg in the previous round.
“I’d be surprised if Bayer don’t take this tie seriously. With a 16-point lead, they can afford to field strong line-ups, and their squad is deep anyway.
“Patrik Schick has scored some really important goals recently, and is a handful. Granit Xhaka has been outstanding in midfield, while Robert Andrich is an old-school warrior alongside him. Jonas Hofmann is a very clever wide player who helps the team tick.
“I think West Ham’s best chance will be on the counter-attack, as that’s where Bowen, Kudus etc can do damage. The fear is that I expect West Ham to sit deep for long spells and let Bayer have the ball, and generally when teams do that, Bayer break them down.
‘Bayer respect West Ham, it could go down to the wire’
“The BayArena isn’t one of the more intimidating venues like Frankfurt, Dortmund or Köln, and although their fans are committed, they aren’t seen as a particularly vociferous bunch.
“Leverkusen is perfectly nice, but I’d recommend fans stay in Cologne down the road, which is a wonderful city.
“I actually think this could go down to the wire, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with extra time. I think Leverkusen will edge it, but it’s tight.”
West Ham’s carrot of being the slayers of the invincibles still dangles tantalisingly.
Qarabag have already showed West Ham that Leverkusen can be got at defensively by scoring four goals against them over two legs in the last round.
The Azerbaijani side came within minutes of knocking West Ham’s last eight opponents out.
And – ironically – Freiburg also showed Leverkusen can be got at when they got two goals against them in a 3-2 defeat just days after being smashed 5-0 by the Hammers.
A daunting task awaits Moyes’ boys. But records are there to be broken and historically West Ham relish situations like this.