West Ham United will travel out to Germany later this week to take on Bayer Leverkusen in a Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash.
Bayer Leverkusen are favourites to win the Europa League alongside Liverpool, but West Ham have always loved being the underdogs haven’t we!
The size of the task that the Hammers face is undeniable. Leverkusen are an exceptional side and Victor Boniface’s recent return to fitness makes them an even stronger outfit.
Bayer do face some tough games in and around our matches against them – Borussia Dortmund away after the second-leg stands out to me. However, they may have won the league by then already anyway!
David Moyes will be fully aware that his players need to be 100% on it during both legs against the German side, if West Ham are to progress through to the semi-final of the competition.
Leverkusen are unbeaten in all competitions under Xabi Alonso this season, and they are just one win away from lifting their first ever Bundesliga title.
Alonso has implemented an incredibly exciting brand of football at BayArena, and he has received plaudits from all over the continent for the job he has done.
The Spaniard’s side have swatted away all challengers so far this term, and they really do look like a fearsome side right now.
However, the Hammers will represent a completely different test for Leverkusen – a more physical one than they will have been used to before certainly.
I actually think we might stand a better chance than people are giving us credit for. Now a new injury blow has emerged ahead of the game…
Injury news emerges ahead of Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Europa League clash
The Hammers fans are salivating at the prospect of taking on Germany’s best team right now and making it to the final four of Europe’s second tier competition.
But do we have a real and genuine chance to topple the Bundesliga leaders? They are one of the very best teams on the continent this season after all.
I just think that we may well have a better chance of succeeding than a lot of fans and pundits think.
Remember how many match winners we have in our squad. And if we can nick a draw out in Germany, I think we’ll be in great shape heading into the second-leg.
However, what’s the latest injury news heading into the Europa League clash?
According to Bayer Leverkusen’s official website, 21-year-old striker Adam Hlozek will miss both games against the Hammers after suffering an ankle injury during their 1-0 win over Union Berlin on Saturday.
Whilst the Czech Republic international isn’t a regular starter for Leverkusen, but he has bagged seven goals and two assists in just 815 minutes action this season (Transfermarkt).
With Boniface having only recently returned from injury, not having Hlozek around means that Alonso may have to rush the Nigerian back to action sooner than he would have done before.
The Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham Europa League clash should be an absolute cracker. And I really think that we could spring a big surprise over the course of the next 10 days or so.
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