West Ham United: Anton Ferdinand certain of what will happen vs Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League
Anton Ferdinand is confident West Ham will overcome Bayer Leverkusen in their Europa League quarter-final tie.
The Irons’ reward for brushing aside Freiburg over two legs is a showdown with another Bundesliga side in Leverkusen next month.
Xabi Alonso’s side are unbeaten in all competitions this season, but Ferdinand is backing former side West Ham to come out on top.
“They’re a top team. In Europe you’ve got to beat teams like this. Can we win? I wouldn’t put it past us,” he said on The Take On podcast [21 March, 21m 34s].
“If we go to Bayer and get a good result, even beaten 1-0, then come back to Olympic Stadium, we can beat anyone there.
“With that atmosphere, with the players playing on the front foot… We beat Sevilla last year. We’ve done it. We’ve beaten big teams.
“We’ve proven we can do it in Europe, particularly at home. And we have a manager who sets up teams well.”
Podcast host Flex added: “If David Moyes comes out of this tie on top, a lot of the West Ham fans who have been wanting Moyes out, well I don’t know what you want.”
West Ham face huge Bayer Leverkusen test in Europa League
Leverkusen have played 38 games this season and won 33 of those while drawing the other five.
Alonso’s side are top of the Bundesliga and are now strong favourites to end Bayern Munich’s domination in terms of successive title wins.
The bookmakers also now have Leverkusen as second favourites to lift the Europa League behind only Liverpool, with AC Milan third on the list.
West Ham have showed what they are capable of in Europe, though, particularly against perennial Europa League winners Sevilla.
Facing Leverkusen will therefore hold no fear, as good as the German side are right now, especially with the second leg on home soil.
As Ferdinand says, it is important United are in the tie come that second leg on what should be a special night under the London Stadium lights.
And should the Irons overcome Leverkusen, there is no reason why they cannot then go on to lift the trophy in Dublin in a couple of months’ time.
In other West Ham news, a source has spoken out amid the shambolic scenes at London Stadium against Aston Villa.
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