Europa League: We’ll make Europa League tie ‘tougher’ for Leverkusen – West Ham captain Zouma
West Ham will be up against a tough challenge when they take on Bayer Leverkusen, who have not lost a game since July last year, but club captain Kurt Zouma says they can match the German and even surpass them.
Leverkusen are on a course for a historic treble. They are clear at the top of the German Bundesliga with 16 points, in the final of the DFB Pokal and are seeking a place in the semifinals of the Europa League.
They’ve put together a staggering 45-game unbeaten run and are in fine fettle, but Zouma says, West Ham – who reached the Europa League semis two seasons ago and won the Europa Conference League last season, possess the quality the face the in-form Germans.
“It is going to be a challenge,” the defender admitted, in answer to a question from Omasports ahead of the match. “We know how well they’re playing in Europe and in the domestic league, and we know what we have as well. We know how well we can play. It’s going to be tough but it’s two legs and hopefully we can get a good result tomorrow and next week.
Leverkusen may have gone through the season unbeaten, but they have gone close to being eliminated from the Europa League, having needed to come from two goals down in both legs to defeat Azerbaijani champions Qarabağ 5-4 on aggregate in the round of 16.
“Everything is possible,” Zouma observed. “We work on things tactically and we have got to be spot-on and ready to suffer sometimes but also we can hurt them, I would say. We want to make it tough for them as well and hopefully Thursday it’ll be a good game to watch and hopefully we can get a good result.
“We all play the game to win [on Thursday]. It’s all about winning. We know we are missing a few key players, but we’ve got a good squad and everyone here is ready to play and give 100 per cent.”
“Everything is possible. We will work on them tactically. We will be ready to suffer and also to hurt them. It’s going to be a tough match but we want to make it tougher for them. Hopefully it will be a good game to watch and hopefully we get a good result.”
