Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise will resume their neck-to-neck fight for a spot in the UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
Belgian upstarts Union Saint-Gilloise gave Bayer Leverkusen a proper fright in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash at the BayArena last week. They will now hope to get the job done in front of their home fans and secure a spot in the last four of the competition.
Whichever way it goes, the Belgian club’s recent turnaround in fortunes has been nothing short of remarkable. In three seasons, they have gone from almost being relegated to the third tier of Belgian football to challenging for the league while also making waves in Europe.
Owned by Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tony Bloom, Saint-Gilloise will be keen to follow a similar trajectory as the Seagulls in recent times. Surely, this dream run cannot go all the way.
Bayer Leverkusen, for their part, are experiencing a resurgence of their own under Xabi Alonso and showed a great fight to get back into the tie in the first leg. Initially rattled by the Belgian side’s great start, Leverkusen fought back to salvage a draw and ended the game on the front foot.
However, the inability to find a winner could come back to haunt them ahead of the trip to the Stade Joseph Marien. The Arena proved to be fellow Bundesliga side Union Berlin’s undoing and is more or less a fortress whenever Saint-Gilloise hosted a European second leg. In fact, they have won all three games that come under the criteria.
The German outfit have put together a good run of three consecutive away wins in the second leg of European competitions and should fancy their chances on the night. Despite having the stronger team on paper, Xabi Alonso will certainly see his reputation enhanced should he see Leverkusen over the line.
Union Saint-Gilloise have proven themselves to be dogged contenders and were close to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League this season. Unfortunately, a second-leg collapse saw Rangers pip them to a spot through the playoffs. They have since shown in the Europa League that they certainly belong among the elite.
The game is likely to be a much more open affair between two sides with little to separate them. It will be winner takes all at the Stade Joseph Marien in a game that should be tightly contested. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Union Saint-Gilloise
🗣️ Les mots du Capi’ après le match de jeudi dernier à Leverkusen. pic.twitter.com/cBYCPmNvJi
— Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (@UnionStGilloise) April 18, 2023
Karel Geraerts will be without defender Siebe Van der Heyden, who is suspended for the tie following his booking in the first leg. The Belgians have an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from.
Geraerts surprisingly rested Simon Adingra in the first leg and could be tempted to recall the Brighton loanee to the playing XI this time around. Saint-Gilloise withered in the second half at Leverkusen, and they will be keen to avoid a false sense of security in front of their own fans.
Having beaten Union Berlin in the previous round, Saint-Gilloise certainly have the pedigree to repeat the performance. The 3-5-2 setup caught Leverkusen off guard in the first leg. And Geraerts is expected to retain faith in it this time around.
Anthony Moris should start in between the sticks with a back three of Ismael Kandouss, Christian Burgess and Koki Machida, who will replace the suspended Siebe Van der Heyden. Bart Nieuwkoop and Loic Lapoussin should occupy the wing-back spots, as they aim to get forward on the overlap and stretch the Bundesliga side’s defence.
Senne Lynen will start in central midfield and will be tasked with cutting off service to Florian Wirtz. He should be flanked by Lazare Amani and Teddy Teuma in a key role that should set the pace of the game.
Victor Boniface and Simon Adingra will be expected to lead the line against a Leverkusen defence that can be caught out with the right movement. The former already has six goals to his name in the competition this season and should cause the Leverkusen backline some concerns.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Moris; Kandouss, Burgess, Machida; Nieuwkoop, Amani, Lynen, Teuma, Lapoussin; Adingra, Boniface
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso’s side were thoroughly outplayed in the opening stages of the first leg. But to their credit, they were able to stay alive and eventually draw level. The Spaniard will be keen to not get caught out a second time and will likely deploy his side in a much more compact formation on the night.
The German club have a poor record away to Belgian clubs and have not won in the country since 1997. They will need to end this 36-year-old hoodoo to secure a spot in the last four. This task is not made any easier owing to injuries to major stars such as Patrik Schick, Andrey Lunev, Exequiel Palacios and Charles Aranguiz.
Die Werkself also rested a few players in their weekend clash against Wolfsburg, prompting Alonso to make some changes for the night. The 3-4-1-2 formation that also doubles up as a 3-4-3 is likely to be preferred, with Lukas Hradecky in goal. He will be protected by the centre-back trio of Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba.
Important @EuropaLeague week ahead! Our coach is ready 💪 ⚫🔴
🔜 #UEL | #USGB04 I #Bayer04 pic.twitter.com/fdlc14s7XZ
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 17, 2023
Jeremie Frimpong will be out to impress his suitors on the right flank, with Piero Hincapie holding his own in the left-wing back’s spot. The duo will be ably supported by the duo of Robert Andrich and Kerem Demirbay in central midfield.
The prodigious Florian Wirtz scored the equaliser in the first leg and should act as the playmaker behind Amine Adli and Moussa Diaby in the attack. Wirtz could also push forward to make it an attacking three, with him acting as the central attacker. Shackling Wirtz should take some fizz out of the Leverkusen attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Andrich, Demirbay, Hincapie; Wirtz; Adli, Diaby
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise have gone up against each other in a competitive setup just once, in the first leg. Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last four games against Belgian opposition.
- Union Saint-Gilloise will now face Bundesliga opposition for their third Europa League home game in a row. They lost 1-0 in the group stage to Union Berlin before dumping them out 3-0 in the previous round.
- Bayer Leverkusen have failed to win any of their last three visits to Belgium. In fact, their lone win in the country came all the way back in 1997 against Lierse SK.
- Union Saint-Gilloise have a 100 per cent win rate in the second leg of a major European tie when it is played at home. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen have won the second leg of their last three Europa League knockout ties when they have been away from home.
- A win on the night will see Bayer Leverkusen make the semifinal of a major European competition for the first time since 2001/02.
Player to Watch
Victor Boniface
No player has scored more #UEL goals this season than Victor Boniface (6).
Another Super Eagle in fine goalscoring form. 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/5d3u6r7RKZ
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) April 13, 2023
The Nigerian international is the tournament’s leading scorer alongside Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford this season. He has six goals in nine games and is Union Saint-Gilloise’s biggest attacking threat on the night. A good dribbler who is also strong in aerial clashes, Boniface is a trademark menace to the Leverkusen backline.
Scoring on the night will see him draw level with Victor Ikpeba as the highest-scoring Nigerian in the competition over the course of a season. More so, it will also give his side a major boost in their bid to qualify for the semifinals. As long as Boniface turns up, Union Saint-Gilloise have every reason to believe they can pull off another upset.
Prediction
Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen (After Extra Time)
Union Saint-Gilloise are expected to start the game quickly. And with home support to boot, they will be up for the challenge. Bayer Leverkusen largely nullified them as the first leg match wore on, and we can expect more of the same on the night. Both sides are likely to end the 90 minutes level, permitting the home side to seal the win in extra time.
Bayer Leverkusen are dogged contenders and will fight until the end. But The Hard Tackle believes Union Saint-Gilloise will live to fight another day, taking their dream run into the semifinals.
