Bayer Leverkusen host Belgian side Union SG in the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday with the Bundesliga side coming into this clash in excellent form. Kick-off at the BayArena is 21:00 local time.
At the pre-match press conference, Moussa Diaby held Xabi Alonso in high praise. The Frenchman stated that Bayer Leverkusen have a mentality now and that the players are more focused than ever. Diaby, one player who has benefitted from the appointment on Alonso with 12 goals and seven assists in 25 games, believes that B04 can win the Europa League.
Diaby has created a formidable understanding with Florian Wirtz and fellow countryman Amine Adli with the trio expected to start for Leverkusen on Thursday night. Adli scored in Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend whilst Wirtz has three goals and eight assists in 15 games in 2023.
Defensively, don’t expect Alonso to change anything with Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba all keeping their spots in the starting XI, and the same goes for their midfield with Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, Robert Andrich and Piero Hincapié seemingly Alonso’s preferred setup.
Predicted Bayer Leverkusen XI vs Union SG
Lukas Hradecky – Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba – Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, Robert Andrich, Piero Hincapié – Moussa Diaby, Amine Adli, Florian Wirtz.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
