Bayer Leverkusen are aiming to extend their recent good form as they host Union Saint-Gilloise in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Leverkusen have taken the Europa League by the scruff of the neck since dropping from the Champions League. They accounted for the exit of Monaco in the knockout playoffs and also did the double over Ferencvaros in the previous round with both matches ending 2-0.
The Germans have been cruising past their opponents lately, claiming eight wins and a draw from their last nine matches across all competitions. Xabi Alonso’s men are also unbeaten in their last six away matches, with five wins in that run.
Bayer Leverkusen have looked lethal in attack in recent weeks with Amine Adli, Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz all impressing. Adli and Diaby were both on target as they claimed a 3-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in a Bundesliga fixture last Saturday.
Union Saint-Gilloise’s campaign has not been as smooth as Bayer Leverkusen, although they did knock out another German side in the previous round. They claimed a 6-3 aggregate victory over Union Berlin to reach the quarter-finals, earning a 3-3 draw in Germany before running out 3-0 winners at home.
Like Bayer Leverkusen, Union Saint-Gilloise have also generally been in good form lately and are unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions. They have claimed five wins in that run but were held to a 1-1 draw at Gent in a domestic fixture last weekend.
The result at Gent is an extension of a poor record on the road for Union Saint-Gilloise, who have won just once in their last six away matches across all competitions. Karel Garaerts’ men have also struggled defensively on their travels, failing to keep a single clean sheet in that run.
How the bookies view it
Bayer Leverkusen are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/15 by bet365. A victory for Union Saint-Gilloise is valued at 5/1 by Coral while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise.
Players to watch
Moussa Diaby continues to impress for Bayer Leverkusen and was on target in the win over Ferencvaros in the previous round. The forward also got on the score sheet in the Bundesliga last weekend and is priced at 39/20 by Unibet to find the net on Thursday.
Victor Boniface has caught the eye this season and will be the one to watch for Union Saint-Gilloise. The Nigerian forward has six goals in the Europa League and is priced at 7/2 by Paddy Power to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s previous outing and a repeat is priced at 2/1 by BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 8/11 by William Hill while Unibet is offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
Bayer Leverkusen have scored in both halves in three of their last four home matches and could be set for a similar outcome at 7/5 with Paddy Power. Given the minimal odds for a straight home victory the Germans can also be tipped to earn a win and over 2.5 goals at 11/8 with William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League match between Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise will be played on Apr 13, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bayer Leverkusen vs Union Saint-Gilloise prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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