West Ham lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-final

Bastian Schweinsteiger delivers 'strong' verdict after West Ham draw Bayer Leverkusen

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

15 Mar 2024, 3:40 pm

Bastian Schweinsteiger has dropped his verdict as West Ham drew Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-finals draw on Friday (15 March).

Despite going 1-0 down to Freiburg in the first leg, the Hammers overturned the deficit at the London Stadium on Thursday 14 March, winning 5-0 to advance from the round of 16.

Having escaped a shock loss to Qarabag FK in the Europa League, Xabi Alonso's side remains the most in-form team in Europe, yet to lose a game this season, and were announced as West Ham's next opponents.

Taking to X on Friday (15 March), the Bayern Munich legend wrote: "In the Europa League, the encounters promise great excitement and a lot of quality.

"West Ham has shown that they are a strong opponent and they will demand everything from Bayer Leverkusen."

Can West Ham United overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League?

Even despite Leverkusen nearly being knocked out of the competition by the first-place team in Azerbaijan, it is a big ask for West Ham to claim victory over two legs.

The Hammers have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in 2024 so far, going on a run of eight matches without a win until beating Brentford 4-2 before a thrilling late win over Everton.

The pressure has been mounting on David Moyes at the London Stadium, with fans criticising his defensive style of play despite a squad full of extremely talented attackers.

Die Auslosung des Viertelfinales der @ChampionsLeague hat gehalten was sie versprochen hat. Beide deutschen Vereine gehen den ganz großen Namen vorerst aus dem Weg und dürfen ihre Rückspiele vor heimischer Kulisse austragen. Dennoch sehe ich den @BVB als Außenseiter in der Partie…
— Bastian Schweinsteiger (@BSchweinsteiger) March 15, 2024

That was not helped by the 1-0 loss to Freiburg in the first leg and 2-2 draw with Burnley. However, the 5-0 win over the Bundesliga outfit won back a few fans, turning to a much-needed attacking lineup.

With Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus all in form, West Ham have the potential to beat anyone, though Leverkusen are a completely different animal and could end their hopes of winning back-to-back European trophies.

In other West Ham news, Hammers named as £100m transfer development emerges.

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