Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham United

Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham United are set to trade tackles in a handsomely-looking pre-season friendly at the BayArena.

Fresh off penning a contract extension, Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is looking to repay the board’s trust with more on-field success after guiding ‘Die Werkself’ to a 2-1 friendly win over Olympique Marseille earlier this week. That victory got the Bundesliga powerhouse off the mark in an otherwise disappointing pre-season, highlighted by back-to-back defeats to Real Sociedad and Paderborn via a single-goal margin. Those losses formed part of a severely underwhelming stint that had seen Leverkusen go winless in nine consecutive matches (D4, L5). Alonso’s prime objective is to resolve his side’s defensive woes after overseeing five games without a clean sheet on the trot.

On the other hand, West Ham’s pre-season following an iconic Europa Conference League triumph last season was off to an exceptional start, with David Moyes’ team winning their opening three summer friendlies by a combined score of 13-4. However, the wheels have fallen off on the back of Declan Rice’s blockbuster transfer to Arsenal as the ‘Hammers’ come into proceedings having gone winless in their last two exhibition fixtures (D1, L1), including a woeful 3-1 defeat at Rennes last time out. West Ham’s poor away form remains a reason for concern. Excluding their 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the Conference League showpiece in June, the visitors have accrued just two wins on their last eight travels (D1, L5).