Are Bayer Leverkusen silent contenders to win the Europa League?

Bayer Leverkusen under the stewardship of one of the most promising young managers in world football, Xabi Alonso, find themselves having a sensational season, domestically and on the continental scene.

Leverkusen boasts a very impressive run of form which has seen them remain unbeaten in the German Bundesliga this season after 23 rounds of matches, winning 19 and drawing just 4 of those matches.

At the time of writing, Bayer Leverkusen sit top of the German Bundesliga table with 61 points, 8 points clear of Thomas Tuchel's Bayern Munich in second place. Xabi Alonso's charges have also replicated their impressive run of form while dispatching their opponents in Europe, coasting through the group stages and into the round of 16 without dropping a single point. Can Bayer Leverkusen stay unbeaten all season to lift the Europa League trophy?

Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League

Bayer Leverkusen are one-time winners of the UEFA Europa League, a feat they achieved in the 1987/88 season.

Since that time, they have found themselves unable to reach another final. In the last decade, Leverkusen have featured in the competition on seven occasions, failing to reach the final in their last six appearances in the competition, a trend they will be hoping to end this season.

Leverkusen has always progressed out of the group stages with relative ease but has usually found the knockout rounds hard to navigate with round of 32 exits in the 2018/2019 and 2020/2021 seasons, round of 16 exits in the 2015/2016 and 2021/2022 seasons and a quarter-final exit in the 2019/2020 season.

With the appointment of young Spanish tactician Xabi Alonso last season, Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed their best run in the Europa League in a decade when they fell just one match shy of reaching the final. They were knocked out in the semi-final by a Jose Mourinho-led AS Roma after losing 1-0 away from home before being held to a goalless draw at the BayArena despite a very spirited display from Xabi’s men.

Bayer Leverkusen have had a fantastic run in the Europa League this season, winning all six of their group stage matches to seal their place in the round of 16 where they are set to go up against Qarabag FK, a team they defeated at home and away in the group stages.

Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023/2024 Europa League

Bayer Leverkusen set their sights on Qarabag FK, their opponents in the round of 16 fixtures slated for March 7 and March 14, 2024.

The tickets to the game are selling fast. You can get Bayer Leverkusen tickets on Seatsnet.com.

Bayer Leverkusen can fancy their chances of going all the way in the Europa League this time around with the almost immaculate form they have found themselves enjoying. They are yet to lose a competitive match this season, winning many of their games this season with impressive margins.

Leverkusen qualified for this season's UEFA Europa League group stages after finishing in sixth place last season in the Bundesliga. The group stage draw placed them in group H alongside Qarabag FK, Molde, and Hacken.

Bayer Leverkusen won all six of their group stage matches, amassing an impressive 18 points to finish top of their group and head straight to the round of 16. They scored 19 goals, the most by any team in the group stage of the competition this season, and conceded just 3 goals, the least by any team in the group stage of the competition this season.

Despite the presence of European heavyweights like Liverpool and AC Milan in the competition, Bayer Leverkusen will be confident of their ability to weather any storm that lay ahead of them.

Bayer Leverkusen's opponents: Qarabag FK

Qarabag FK has been a somewhat regular presence in the UEFA Europa League in the last decade. Qualifying for the group stages in seven of the last ten seasons but only progressing beyond the group stages for the first time this season.

Qarabag has dominated the Azerbaijan Premier League for the last nine seasons, failing to win the league just once in ten years. Qarabag qualified for the Europa League group stages by beating HJK and Olimpija Ljubljana in the third qualifying and play-off rounds respectively.

Qarabag FK managed 10 points from their six group stage matches (3W, 1D, 1L) to finish second behind Bayer Leverkusen in group H and qualify for the Europa League knockout play-off round. They scored 7 goals and conceded 9 goals in their six group-stage matches in the competition.

In the knockout play-off round, Qarabag FK squared off against UEFA Champions League demotees FC Braga. A spirited second-half display saw Qarabag FK seal a 4-2 victory on enemy territory, taking a comfy two-goal cushion back to Azerbaijan where they ensured a 6-4 aggregate win despite losing 3-2 on home soil to qualify for the round of 16.

Bayer Leverkusen's record against Qarabag FK

Bayer Leverkusen has faced Qarabag FK on two occasions and both matches were in this season's group stage of the UEFA Europa League with Leverkusen emerging victorious on both occasions.

The first meeting between the two teams resulted in a 5-1 mauling of Qarabag FK at the BayArena. A goal-blessed first half saw Leverkusen go in at halftime with a 3-1 lead courtesy of goals from Florian Wirtz, Alex Grimaldo, and Victor Boniface with Tural Bayramov briefly drawing Qarabag level. Grimaldo grabbed his second and Leverkusen's fourth goal of the match before Edmund Tapsoba rounded off the scoring for Bayer Leverkusen.

The second meeting ended in a much more respectable result, ending 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a stoppage-time penalty which was converted by Victor Boniface.

Qarabag FK are familiar faces for Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso's men will be confident going into this match-up given the history they now share.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Qarabag FK match predictions

Bayer Leverkusen vs Qarabag FK will be played on March 7 and 14 2024. The first leg of this fixture will see Leverkusen travel to the Tofiq Bakhramov Stadium in Azerbaijan on March 7 before welcoming their opponents to the BayArena for the second leg of the tie on March 14.

In both legs, it is expected that Bayer Leverkusen will control the game in and out of possession, create chances aplenty, and create lots of problems for the Azerbaijan champions. Qarabag will be looking to contain Bayer Leverkusen as much as they can while they wait for opportunities on the counter.

Bayer Leverkusen seem like glaring favorites to win this match-up with a 6-2 aggregate result.