Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to finish a perfect group campaign when they host Molde in the Europa League. The German hosts have won all five of their current games. Their guests are behind Qarabag FK in second place on goal differential.
Preview (Bayer Leverkusen vs. Molde)
With a flawless record thus far and guaranteed participation in Europe’s secondary tournament thanks to their sixth-place Bundesliga finish last time around, Bayer Leverkusen enters the last round of group games in the Europa League with an unbeaten record. Die Werkself has won all five of their continental matches. They scored 15 goals and conceded just twice in what has been an incredible campaign thus far. Under Xabi Alonso, the team has gone undefeated in all competitions. Their victories have started with a 4-0 thumping of Hacken and a 2-1 triumph away at Molde. The goals came from Nathan Tella and Rémy Frimpong against the opposition on Thursday.
Then came two matches against Qarabag, where Alonso’s team beat them 5-1 at the BayArena and won by a goal to nil thanks to Victor Boniface’s injury-time penalty. Most recently, they went to Hacken and won 2-0, with Boniface and Patrik Schick scoring once more. Their run of victories in all competitions now stands at 14 games. They are still undefeated going into the final group game. They have drawn their last two Bundesliga matches, 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart. Most recently, they overcame a goal deficit to share the win away at third-place Stuttgart.
After two rounds of games, that put Erling Moe’s team in a challenging situation. However, they would later turn things around in two matches against Hacken. They first humiliated them 5-1 at home before Christian Eriksen scored twice in a 3-1 victory in Sweden. After losing 2-1 in the 87th minute to another Eriksen brace, Molde hosted Qarabag in a crucial match the previous time around on the continent, and they appeared poised to win three straight and move up into second place, putting them on track for a Europa League playoff spot. However, they were pushed back.
Team News
Xabi Alonso has rotated his Bayer Leverkusen team a few times so far in the Europa League. Considering their hectic schedule, we might witness a few more changes on Thursday. Victor Boniface, who joined the team in the summer and has scored 14 goals in his first 21 games. He might still start at the front of the line. If they choose a 4-2-3-1 formation, as they did during their previous continental match, Robert Andrich is probably going to return to midfield, while Nathan Tella and Adam Hlozek might once more be given opportunities as a supporting trio.
One of Die Werkself’s star center-backs, Jonathan Tah, may be sidelined on Thursday in favor of a back four, which will allow Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou to share the midfield duties. Molde’s starting lineup for their trip to Germany is probably the same as it was for their last group match, a draw against Qarabag. Martin Ellingsen, Casper Oyvann, and Eirik Haugan will likely start in the middle of defense in a 5-3-2 formation.On the other side of the field, Victor Berisha and Marcus Wolff Eikrem should continue to lead the line, while Emil Breivik and Kristian Eriksen, who have scored 14 and seven goals apiece this season, pose a threat in the middle.
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Molde
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