The player who scored the winning goal in last year’s Europa Conference League final is missing. The player who holds the midfield together is out. The opposition have the most exciting young manager in Europe, are about to win the Bundesliga and have not lost a game this season. Oh, and they thrashed West Ham 4-0 when the teams met in pre‑season last summer. Enjoy.
“They haven’t lost for 41 games – it is a challenge for us,” Kurt Zouma, West Ham’s captain, said before the first leg of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. Jarrod Bowen, scorer of 19 goals this season, has not travelled to Germany after hurting his back against Wolves last weekend and the Mexico midfielder Edson Álvarez is suspended. The preparations could have gone better.
