Can West Ham United overturn their Europa League tie, in the second leg, at home against Bayer Leverkusen? Well, the odds are certainly against them, as Bayer Leverkusen are a powerhouse right now, in the truest sense. David Moyes would love to go back-to-back in seasons in winning a trophy, and both he and the club could really use it.
West Ham United vs Bayer Leverkusen FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. April 18, 8pm, London Stadium
Competition: UEFA Europa League Quarterfinal Leg 1/2
Aggregate: Bayer Leverkusen leads 2-0
Fun Fact: The last time Bayer Leverkusen faced an English side, in European competition, it was also a London club, Tottenham Hotspur, in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
West Ham Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Both David Moyes and WHUFC haven’t exactly been silverware winning machines, when you look at their overall CVs. At least if they do pull it off, it’ll be as legit as possible, because they would have gone through a very strong side, in Bayer Leverkusen, to get there.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Bayer Leverkusen
Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Mavropanos, Kurt Zouma, Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez; Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus; Michail Antonio
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.