West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen betting tips: Europa League predictions, odds and free bets

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen betting tips

• Leverkusen to win and BTTS – 5/2 William Hill 
• Florian Wirtz to score any time – 11/4 bet365 
• West Ham over 10.5 fouls – 5/6 Unibet

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen can continue their outstanding season by overcoming West Ham to advance to the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday evening (8pm, TNT Sports 2). 

Xabi Alonso’s men ended a 120-year wait to win the German top flight following their 5-0 triumph over Werder Bremen at the weekend, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year dominance of the Bundesliga. 

Die Schwartzroten now have their eye on completing a famous treble with the Europa League and DFB-Pokal still to play for this term. 

Leverkusen are favourites with football betting sites to win both trophies after beating West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at BayArena courtesy of late goals from Jonas Hoffman and Victor Boniface.

They will travel to the London Stadium full of confidence they can preserve their unbeaten record against an out of sorts West Ham side. 

The Hammers will need to score at least three times to advance to the semi-final but showed little sign of being capable of that in their 2-0 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday. 

The Europa Conference League winners have only won one of their last five in all competitions and will have to produce something very special to extend this season's European journey.

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen tip: Alonso's men in cruise control

Leverkusen capped a remarkable run to the Bundesliga title by thrashing Bremen 5-0 at the weekend. 

All eyes were on Alonso’s men to see if they could get over the line and secure their first Meisterschale and the response was emphatic, destroying their opponents at BayArena. Confidence is sky-high in the Leverkusen camp and for good reason.  

They’re unbeaten in all competitions this season and have looked untouchable, apart from a scare against Qarabag in the Europa League round of 16. They’ve won eight on the bounce, and have conceded just one goal in their last five. 

Alonso has his team working in perfect harmony from back to front and it’s hard to see anyone other than Die Schwartzroten winning the competition, especially with their clinical edge in the final third.

Although West Ham fought a rearguard action for the majority of the game, Moyes will have been pleased with their performance right up until Hoffmann got the breakthrough in the 83rd minute.

Even a one-goal deficit would have been a decent result, but the Hammers have it all to do at the London Stadium after Boniface's stoppage-time effort double the German outfit's lead. 

They were outplayed by Fulham at the weekend and won't have either Jarrod Bowen or Lucas Paqueta for Thursday's game.

The hosts still possess some quality in the final third and could take heed from Qarabag by exposing Leverkusen at the back. But we expect the German outfit to win on the night, playing on the counter. 

Looking at betting apps, pairing a Leverkusen win with both teams to score at 5/2 with William Hill is a nice option. 

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 1: Leverkusen to win and BTTS – 5/2 William Hill

Wirtz to put on a show

Florian Wirtz put the icing on the cake of Leverkusen's win over Bremen with a second half hat-trick. 

The 20-year-old is one of the brightest talents in German football and should be a foundational piece for Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for Euro 2024. 

If he can get the same level of performance out of Wirtz that Alonso has benefited from at Leverkusen, then Germany could be in line for a successful home tournament.  

Wirtz has been exceptional in all competitions but has been vital for Leverkusen in the Europa League. He has three goals and four assists in just seven appearances in the tournament this season.

Wirtz has been a constant thorn in the side of opposing defences, pulling the strings in the final third and playing with maturity beyond his years.

With the end of the season in sight, Wirtz has peaked at the perfect moment, scoring 10 goals in his last 11 appearances for club and country. 

As West Ham have to go on the attack, Wirtz will have plenty of space to exploit. Gambling sites differ on his value to score any time, but we’re taking the best price of 11/4 with bet365. 

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 2: Florian Wirtz to score any time – 11/4 bet365

West Ham to rack up the fouls 

The Hammers need to play with intensity on Thursday and that may lead to them pushing the boundaries when it comes to challenges. Moyes’ men committed 11 fouls in their rearguard action at BayArena as the hosts dominated the ball. 

West Ham could be in line to exceed that number to gain possession and inflict the damage they require to get back into the tie. 

Edson Alvarez is the prime suspect to draw the ire of the referee in his likely attempts to stamp his authority on the game and averages 1.8 fouls per game in the Europa League.

Referee Jose Maria Sanchez has awarded an average of 27.11 fouls per game in his 27 matches across LaLiga, the Champions League, Europa League, European Championship qualifiers and the Nations League. 

With that in mind, we’re backing the Hammers to commit over 10.5 fouls in the game at 5/6 with Unibet. 

West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip 3: West Ham over 10.5 fouls – 5/6 Unibet

Free bets for West Ham vs Bayer Leverkusen 

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