Kick-off: 2000, 20/04/2023
Stadium: Lotto Park
TV: BT Sport
Union Saint-Gilloise have punched above their weight throughout this season’s Europa League, including when drawing 1-1 at Bayer Leverkusen.
However, having to switch the second leg to Anderlecht’s Lotto Park may just count against them when facing Xabi Alonso’s in-form side again.
We’re going with Evens for an away win in the second leg for our first Union Saint-Gilloise vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction.
Hosts won’t hold anything back
USG started brightly in Germany and Lukas Hradecky had to get down well to save from Victor Boniface.
Leverkusen were fortunate not to concede an own goal when a corner was deflected onto the crossbar but they fell behind soon after the break.
Teddy Teuma found Boniface on the edge of the area and the powerful front man curled his shot past Hradecky this time.
Bayer responded well, though, and Jeremie Frimpong headed a good chance wide before Florian Wirtz fired in a sweetly-struck equaliser on 82 minutes.
Union head coach Karel Geraerts commented: “We can be proud to come away with what is a fair result, in my eyes.”
The hosts will not hold anything back as they seek to stretch their fairytale run all the way through to the semi-finals.
This match should only get more and more open, so 21/10 for both teams to score in the second half catches the eye from the Union Saint-Gilloise vs Bayer Leverkusen odds.
Alonso making good impression
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Alonso has shown plenty of maturity in his first major role as a manager.
Reflecting on the opening encounter, he said: “After they scored, we had to push, but push without doing crazy things because we knew it was the first leg and it would have been fatal to concede a second goal.
“But we created some good chances, learnt a lot about Saint-Gilloise and everything is open for the second game.”
Leverkusen have already won away at Monaco and Ferencvaros in previous rounds and recently beat Bayern Munich during a good run of Bundesliga results.
Being without star striker Patrik Schick through injury has been unfortunate, but Alonso is blessed with several exciting prospects.
Teenage sensation Wirtz has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and Newcastle.
Moussa Diaby, Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi and winger Amine Adli are others to watch out for, along with some smart defenders who are comfortable on the ball.
Overall, we feel they will have just too much talent for the Belgian minnows, especially now they have seen what they are up against.
Let’s add 11/4 for an away win and both teams to score to our Union Saint-Gilloise vs Bayer Leverkusen betting tips.
Additional stats
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