West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction, betting tips and odds: Jubilant visitors too slick for Hammers

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Where to watch West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen

You can watch West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League at 8pm on Thursday, April 18, live on TNT Sports 2

Match prediction & best bet

Bayer Leverkusen
3pts 19-20 Coral

You can bet on West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen here and get £40 in free bets with BetMGM

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen odds

West Ham 3-1
Bayer Leverkusen 19-20
Draw 14-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen predictions

Bayer Leverkusen were renowned for their history of near misses but they have shed their 'Neverkusen' tag in emphatic style this season.

Xabi Alonso's men thumped Werder Bremen 5-0 on Sunday, giving them an unassailable 16-point lead in the Bundesliga with five games remaining.

Leverkusen fans will be hoping that new-found ruthlessness extends to the German Cup, in which they face second-division Kaiserslautern in the final, and to the Europa League.

The German champions take a 2-0 lead to West Ham, whose backs-to-the-wall resistance in the first leg ended when they conceded in the 83rd and 91st minutes.

Leverkusen were excellent value for their win, having 33 shots to the Hammers' one. Substitutes Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann scored their goals while Florian Wirtz came off the bench on Sunday to bag a hat-trick.

Wirtz, along with influential wing-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, should start at the London Stadium, where West Ham's squad is stretched thin.

Top scorer Jarrod Bowen remains a doubtful starter and Lucas Paqueta is banned so it is hard to see how a depleted home attacking unit can end Leverkusen's 43-match unbeaten run this season.

Given the gulf in class between these teams in the first leg, as well as the onus on the Hammers to overturn a two-goal deficit, trophy favourites Leverkusen should seal the tie with a second-leg win.

West Ham's 2-0 weekend defeat to Fulham means they have conceded 14 goals in their last six Premier League home games and their jubilant visitors pose a huge threat.

Key stat

West Ham have won only one of their last eight Premier League home matches

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen team news

West Ham
The Hammers are missing the suspended Lucas Paqueta and Emerson. Jarrod Bowen, Kalvin Phillips and Dinos Mavropanos will be assessed but Alphonse Areola and George Earthy are sidelined.

Bayer Leverkusen 
Striker Adam Hlozek is out but Xabi Alonso still has Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick as options to lead the line. Wing-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo should return after being rested at the weekend.

Probable teams

West Ham (3-5-2): Fabianski; Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Coufal, Alvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Johnson; Kudus, Antonio
Subs: Aguerd, Mavropanos, Ings, Cornet, Bowen, Mubama, Phillips

Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Stanisic; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Boniface
Subs: Hincapie, Tapsoba, Andrich, Tella, Hofmann, Schick, Arthur

Inside info

West Ham

Star man Mohammed Kudus
Top scorer Mohammed Kudus
Penalty taker James Ward-Prowse
Card magnet Edson Alvarez
Assist ace James Ward-Prowse
Set-piece aerial threat Kurt Zouma

Bayer Leverkusen

Star man Alex Grimaldo
Top scorer Victor Boniface
Penalty taker Victor Boniface
Card magnet Exequiel Palacios
Assist ace Alex Grimaldo
Set-piece aerial threat Jonathan Tah

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen bet builder predictions

Bayer Leverkusen to win
The newly-crowned German champions rested several first-team regulars on Sunday and had 33 shots to West Ham's one in the first leg

Florian Wirtz to score at any time
The Leverkusen youngster's weekend hat-trick against Werder Bremen extended his recent hot streak to ten goals in 11 games for club and country

Over 1.5 second-half goals
Leverkusen's last four Europa League matches produced 12 second-half goals and a depleted West Ham side could be vulnerable late on

Pays out at 13-2 with bet365

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