Could the Europa League be where Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run comes to an end?
As of the time of writing this [12/04/2024], Bayer Leverkusen is certainly having a dream of a season. Led by their new manager, former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso, they currently sit at the top of the Bundesliga, a staggering 16 points clear of their arch rivals Bayern Munich. They are still going strong in the Europa League, having inched a 2-0 win over West Ham in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Today we are going to look at whether this league could be where we could see the invincible, unbeaten run come to an end and have a look at their potential rivals.
Looking at the rest of the competition
With no away goals in European competitions anymore, Leverkusen take a two-goal advantage with them going into the second leg, which sees them take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Thursday, April 18. West Ham are known for having fierce, loyal, and loud support, and so they will still need to take their A game and not sit back at all as West Ham will look to try to get their hands on the title after winning the Europa League last year. When they beat Italian team Fiorentina 2-1. There are also opportunities for sports betting crypto sites to check out if you want to see what the odds are of them taking the title this season.
Mathematically, Leverkusen could both end their unbeaten run and also progress in the competition should West Ham only manage to put a goal past them, but all things said, the common agreement is that this isn’t very likely. So what about the other teams remaining in the competition? You have Liverpool, who at the moment it looks unlikely they will have the possibility of facing as they take a 3-0 loss at home into the second leg away at Atalanta. A team that looks formidable and in fine form could prove a real challenge should the draw put Leverkusen against them in the final.
First, they would need to get past the semi-final, where they face the winners of Benfica and Marseille. Benfica took a 2-1 advantage going into the second leg. Both teams have demonstrated their competency in this competition in the past, particularly Benfica. As we see the next round of games later this week kick off, only time will tell if we will end up seeing Leverkusen take on either of these teams in the semi-finals of the 2024 Europa League.
In Summary
Even if Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run comes to an abrupt end, it cannot be denied that they have had an amazing season. Bayern Munich has been dominant for far too long. A league with one team dominating is no fun for supporters of the other 19 clubs that make up the Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen look set to lift their first Bundesliga trophy since the 1978–79 season. Their manager, Alonso, has been linked with a move to his former club Liverpool after Klopp announced he was leaving the club at the end of the year; however, much to the delight of Leverkusen fans, he has said that he is staying at the club.
So it will be very interesting to see if Bayer Leverkusen continues to go from strength to strength next season. And it’s not too late to put a bet on the Bundesliga being won by Leverkusen, as Bayern don’t look likely to catch up – perhaps there is ‘ Harry Kane curse’ after all.
