Union Saint-Gilloise host Bayer Leverkusen in their Europa League quarter-final second leg with the tie nicely balanced from the first meeting. Both teams have shown a willingness to play on the front foot and with neither side also convincing at the back, goals can be expected here.
The hosts were close to claiming the advantage in the first leg having led for much of the second half. Victor Boniface struck just after the restart and they had a few chances to score before letting in the equaliser eight minutes from time.
That result is an extension of Union Saint-Gilloise’s recent good form as they are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions. They have claimed six wins in that run, including a 2-1 victory over RFC Seraing in a domestic fixture on Sunday.
While Union Saint-Gilloise have shown some good form lately, they remain suspect at the back having kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 matches across all competitions. Karel Geraerts’ men have also conceded in three of their last four home matches in the Europa League.
Bayer Leverkusen needed a late equaliser from Florian Wirtz to salvage a draw from the first leg. They had dominated the contest and missed several chances before coming from behind to earn the 1-1 draw.
Like Union Saint-Gilloise, Bayer Leverkusen have also impressed lately and are unbeaten in their last 11 matches across all competitions. They have claimed nine wins in that run but were held to a 0-0 draw by Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last weekend.
Another similarity between Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise is that the Germans have also struggled to keep things tight at the back lately. Xabi Alonso’s men have conceded in 12 of their last 16 matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Bayer Leverkusen have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Unibet to claim the win. Union Saint-Gilloise are considered outsiders at home at 5/2 by bet365 while a draw is also set at odds of 5/2 with William Hill.
Head to head
Last week’s clash was the first ever meeting between Union Saint-Gilloise and Bayer Leverkusen.
Players to watch
Victor Boniface was on target in the first meeting and remains the shining light for Union Saint-Gilloise. The attacker has six goals in his last eight Europa League appearances and is priced at 11/4 by Paddy Power to continue his scoring run.
Moussa Diaby was guilty of missing chances in the first leg and will be keen to set things right on Thursday. The forward has two goals since Leverkusen dropped to the Europa League in January and could be worth keeping an eye on at 13/5 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Union Saint-Gilloise and Bayer Leverkusen were both on target in the first leg and Thursday’s clash could be set for a similar pattern at 8/11 with Unibet. The Belgians have seen over 2.5 goals in their last seven matches across all competitions and a repeat is priced at 9/10 with Unibet while over 3.5 goals is valued at 9/4 by BetVictor.
Both goals in the first leg were scored after the break so the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half on Thursday at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Union Saint-Gilloise have opened the scoring in three of their last four matches and could be tipped to grab the first goal at 11/8 with bet365.
This UEFA Europa League match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on Apr 20, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Union Saint-Gilloise vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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