West Ham United are about to run into a buzzsaw, and unfortunately, they’ll be without their top forward Jarrod Bowen and starting goalkeeper Alphonse Areola when it happens. Bowen, their main scoring weapon will miss out against undefeated Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night, due to a hip injury that he suffered on the weekend.
Bowen received medical treatment on the pitch, at the Molineux, but had to be subbed out. A scan has since been conducted, and it showed substantial damage to afflicted area.
West Ham United at Bayer Leverkusen FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. April 11, 8pm, Bay Arena
Competition: UEFA Europa League Quarterfinal Leg 1/2
Fun Fact: This is the first ever meeting between these two sides in European/UEFA competition
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
West Ham Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
West Ham Team News
We can’t say when he’ll be back, but it definitely won’t be in midweek, and it may not be for awhile. Turning to Areola, he suffered a groin injury, and will be out for an indefinite period of time.
Manager David Moyes said of the injury: “Alphonse felt a slight tweak to his groin at St James’ Park. We hope he won’t be out for too long, but he’s not going to be available for the game against Wolves.”
As for Areola, he himself said of the situation: “On one kick against Newcastle I felt a pain in my groin, and I knew something wasn’t right, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready as soon as possible. The thing with muscle injuries is that you can’t rush back, or you risk making it worse. Hopefully I can recover quickly, and the team can get the right result at Wolves.”
And when we said that Bayer Leverkusen are undefeated, we do indeed mean undefeated. They have suffered no Ls, in any competition, during the 2023-24 season. So the Hammers really have their work cut out for them in this tie.
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.