Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso picks out West Ham’s key players ahead of Europa League quarter-final clash | R7N2E2D | 2024-04-12 16:08:01
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso picks out West Ham's key players ahead of Europa League quarter-final clash | R7N2E2D | 2024-04-12 16:08:01
Xabi Alonso says he's readying his Bayer Leverkusen aspect for a 'massive problem' towards West Ham and has picked out David Moyes' key players ahead of the two-legged Europa League quarter-final.
Leverkusen are having fun with an exceptional campaign in what is Alonso's first full season as a first-team manager, with the club sitting 16 points clear of champions Bayern Munich on the prime of the Bundesliga table and battling for silverware within the& German cup and in Europe.
Alonso put the uncertainty over his future to bed last month as he announced that he would remain in charge past the summer time amid robust interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, with incessant hypothesis threatening to develop into a distraction.
This night, the 42-year-old Spaniard is anticipating one among his toughest challenges yet since taking up the reins at Leverkusen, as his group prepare to welcome West Ham to BayArena for the first leg of an intriguing contest.
The Hammers, final yr's Europa Conference League winners, secured a quarter-final spot with a powerful 5-1 combination victory over Freiburg last day trip and can be brimming with confidence after coming from behind to win away at Wolves at the weekend.
Whereas the Irons are with out considered one of their star males in Jarrod Bowen, the club's prime scorer this season, Alonso underlined that the visitors boast high quality everywhere in the pitch as he spoke to the media at his pre-match press conference.
'All their gamers are experienced. Bowen is perhaps injured tomorrow, [Lucas] Paqueta is a superb player, [Tomas] Soucek, [Michail] Antonio, [Mohammed] Kudus, there are plenty of gamers that we know,' the Leverkusen boss informed reporters.
'[Konstantinos] Mavropanos, [Kurt] Zouma, they're all bodily very robust players, good on the ball.
'They gained the Europa Convention League final season in order that they have expertise in Europe in order that they know find out how to play properly.
'They can be affected person, they are often defensive, we're conscious of all of that for tomorrow and we need to management the match.'
The ex-Liverpool and Actual Madrid midfielder considers the Premier League one of the crucial 'aggressive' leagues on the planet and knows his Leverkusen workforce must 'respect' the opposition over the 2 legs.
'For positive, the Premier League is, if not probably the most, probably the most competitive leagues on the earth. You haven't just some groups, it might be seven or eight teams, which have prime, prime squads, exhausting to beat,' he added.
'I've spoken recurrently with coaches there they usually know that each recreation is admittedly robust to organize, robust to play and it's a must to play perhaps three or four games in a row towards prime, prime teams.
'It's a very exciting competition with so many great players, nice coaches, great clubs, great stadiums, and West Ham is one among them for positive.
'We face them with great respect however with nice excitement that we now have an incredible probability to undergo.
'We need to maintain stepping into an incredible season and it's an enormous problem that we've got towards West Ham.'
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Victor Boniface missed 14 games via damage but might start towards West Ham after approaching in its place in Leverkusen's current wins over Dusseldorf and Union Berlin.
Asked for an replace on the ahead's health, Alonso replied: 'He played a bit of bit towards Union Berlin but he's now ready to play from the primary minute on.
'It's good for us to have this feature that he's with us and may play.'
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