Bayer Leverkusen welcome Royale Union SG at the BayArena in the first leg of the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night. Bayer Leverkusen scaled through from the last 16 by beating Ferencvaros TC 4-0 on aggregate. They had beat them 2-0 apiece in the home and away matches. Meanwhile, Royale Union beat Union Berlin 6-3 on aggregate in the last 16 to make it through. They had initially played a 3-3 draw in the first leg away at Union Berlin, before beating Union Berlin 3-0 in the return leg at their home. I will be putting my money on Bayer Leverkusen to win for the following reasons:

Firstly. Bayer Leverkusen are on a high presently. After enduring a challenging beginning to their domestic league, as well as crashing out of the Champions League in the group stages, they have since turned a corner to record some impressive results recently. They sacked their manager Gérard Seoane who had overseen their early turbulent start to the season last year's October, and replaced him with Xabi Alonso. Their form has since improved. They are currently on a 7 game winning streak in all competitions; and they have won all their last four home matches. The winning streak includes their 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last month. Alonso have since guided them from relegation zone fears to the sixth position in the Bundesliga. This growing confidence and sense of invincibility make them favorites in this encounter.

Secondly. The attacking game of Bayer Leverkusen has become very lethal since their upturn in form. They are the third highest scoring team in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, on 51 goals in 27 matches. This will be a great test for Royale Union who have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six games. Royale Union's last weekend game was a 1-1 draw against KAA Gent. Against a much stronger opponent in Bayer Leverkusen, they are bound to struggle. The escapades of Jeremie Frimpong on the right flank have been a major key to the efficiency of their attack, hence why he is attracting a lot of interest from top European clubs.

As much as I expect Royale Union to put up a worthy challenge against Bayer Leverkusen, Leverkusen have built up a very strong momentum and will be too much of a threat to stop for them. I expect a win for Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night.

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勒沃库森在周四晚上欧联杯四分之一决赛第一回合的巴亚竞技场欢迎皇家联盟SG。勒沃库森以总比分4-0击败费伦茨瓦罗斯，从16强中脱颖而出。他们在主客场比赛中分别以2比0击败了对手。与此同时，皇家联盟在16强中以总比分6-3击败柏林联盟晋级。他们在首回合客场3-3战平柏林联盟，在第二回合主场3-0击败柏林联盟。我会把我的钱押在勒沃库森身上，原因如下:

首先。勒沃库森现在正处于巅峰。在经历了国内联赛充满挑战的开局，以及在欧冠小组赛阶段出局后，他们已经扭转了局势，最近取得了一些令人印象深刻的成绩。他们解雇了他们的主教练Gérard Seoane，他在去年10月监督了他们赛季初期的动荡，并用哈维·阿隆索取代了他。他们的状态已经有所改善。他们目前在各项赛事中保持着7连胜;他们在过去的四场主场比赛中都取得了全胜。连胜包括上个月在德甲2-1战胜拜仁慕尼黑。阿隆索已经带领他们从降级区到德甲第六的位置。这种不断增长的自信和不可战胜的感觉使他们在这场比赛中更受欢迎。

其次。自从勒沃库森的状态好转以来，他们的进攻变得非常致命。他们是德甲射手榜第三高的球队，仅次于拜仁慕尼黑和多特蒙德，在27场比赛中打进51球。这对Royale Union来说将是一个巨大的考验，他们在过去的六场比赛中有五场没有零封对手。皇家联盟上周末的比赛是1-1战平KAA Gent。面对强大得多的对手勒沃库森，他们肯定会很挣扎。耶里米·弗林蓬在右路的突破是他们进攻效率的关键，这就是为什么他吸引了许多欧洲顶级俱乐部的兴趣。

尽管我希望皇家联盟能对勒沃库森提出有价值的挑战，勒沃库森已经建立了非常强大的势头，对他们来说威胁太大了。我希望勒沃库森在周四晚上能赢。