Bayer Leverkusen play host to West Ham United in the Europa League quarter-finals out in Germany tonight.
The Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham United Europa League clash is an eagerly anticipated one, but unfortunately for us, we head into the game without some of our key stars.
Jarrod Bowen is injured whilst Edson Alvarez is suspended. The likes of Kalvin Phillips and Alphonse Areola are set to miss out as well.
Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has already made it clear just how seriously he and his players are taking the game against David Moyes and his Hammers side.
The next four games will define our season. We face Fulham and Crystal Palace in the Premier league along with the two legs against Bayer Leverkusen.
If we progress through to the semi-finals of the Europa League and get a minimum of four points from those league games, we’ll be perfectly set up for an incredible 2023/24 season.
However, if things go the other way, it could be our season finished, and the end of the road for Moyes at the London Stadium.
So how will Moyes tackle the first of those four challenges tonight?
Moyes has big call to make for Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham
All of the pre-game chatter suggests that the Scot will opt for a back five against the Bundesliga side tonight.
That’s fine in itself, but Moyes cannot afford to make one specific mistake in addition to that.
We all know about the West Ham manager’s footballing philosophy. He’s always prepared to give the opponents the lion’s share of possession. A Guardian journalist recently laid into the Hammers gaffer for that approach to the game.
I have no doubt that Bayer will dominate the ball tonight, but if we sit off and invite pressure onto ourselves all game, without pressing high up the pitch, we will get absolutely battered.
The main reason for this is because we are terrible defensively. West Ham have conceded 56 goals in 32 Premier League games this season.
Every time we sit deep as a team, we look like it’s just a matter of time before we break and concede. Hopefully Moyes has a different plan than for his team to just sit back and soak up the pressure tonight.
Because if he doesn’t, Bayer Leverkusen will have their way with West Ham.
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