The first legs of the UEFA Europa League knockout play-offs take place on Thursday, with Bayer Leverkusen hosting Monaco in one of the standout ties of the round.
Bayer Leverkusen find themselves eighth in the German Bundesliga table, while Monaco occupy third place in France’s Ligue 1.
🎙 We talked to @OdilonKossounou about the coach of @AS_Monaco_EN and how he wants to play. 🔜 #B04ASM I #UEL | #Bayer04 pic.twitter.com/GcYNxHBJlm— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) February 14, 2023
🎙 We talked to @OdilonKossounou about the coach of @AS_Monaco_EN and how he wants to play. 🔜 #B04ASM I #UEL | #Bayer04 pic.twitter.com/GcYNxHBJlm
Can Leverkusen gain an advantage on home soil to take into the second leg? Or will Monaco stand firm in Germany? It’s time to take a closer look at the teams.
Let’s start with the hosts, Bayer Leverkusen, who were knocked out of the Champions League earlier this season after finishing third in Group B.
Leverkusen only managed to win one of their six group matches, meaning they finished six points shy of the top two – Porto and Club Brugge.
When you look at the bigger picture, the German side have won just one of their past nine games in Europe – recording two draws and six losses along the way.
That said, Xabi Alonso’s men have won six of their previous eight Bundesliga encounters, so they will fancy their chances of overcoming Monaco.
As for the Monegasques, they finished second in their Europa League group – despite finishing level with first-placed Ferencvaros on 10 points.
Monaco registered three wins, one draw and two losses during the group stage – scoring over 2.5 goals in two of their three victories.
It is worth noting that Monaco have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 10 Europa League away games.
To make matters worse, the French club have lost each of their previous three matches against German sides.
Head-to-head: Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco faced each other four times in the Champions League between 2014 and 2016, with Monaco winning twice.
However, Leverkusen thrashed Monaco 3-0 when the two sides last met at the BayArena – giving the hosts plenty of reason to be optimistic.
Team news: Bayer Leverkusen are currently without the injured trio of Patrik Schick, Andrey Lunev and Charles Aranguiz.
On the flip side, Monaco are missing the defensive pair of Malang Sarr and Vanderson due to injury, so they will not feature in the first leg.
Although Leverkusen have struggled for consistency this season, Xabi Alonso appears to be steering the club in the right direction.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Bayer Leverkusen will beat Monaco in the first leg – keeping a clean sheet in the process.