Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco Prediction: Who will be stronger in the first match?

German Bayer will meet with the French Monaco in the Europa League Qualifying Playoff. Who will be stronger in the first match and ensure the advantage before the second?

This season Bayer decided to focus on European competitions. In the national championship, the team only struggles for a place in the European Cup competitions without success. After 20 rounds, the team is in eighth place, with eight points less than the sixth Eintracht. It should be noted that after the winter break, the team participated in five rounds. They got three victories - 3:2 over Borussia M, 2:0 over Bochum, and 3:1 over Hoffenheim, and also suffered two setbacks - 0:2 against Borussia D and 0:1 against Augsburg.

Bayer had previously played in the Champions League group stage but went down. Surprisingly, on paper, the German club had a pretty passable quartet - Porto, Brugge, and Atletico. However, in reality, the teams that no one expected in the Champions League (Porto and Bruges) took the passing places, scoring 11+ points.

Monaco could have earned a direct pass to the Europa League playoffs, but because of the draw with Ferencvaros in the second match, they can be content with only the knockout rounds. Thus, in the end, the team finished second with the same number of points as the first Ferencvaros (ten).

The French club is in excellent condition for the upcoming game. They haven't lost in six games in a row, claiming four victories - 7:1 over Ajaccio, 3:2 over Auxerre, 2:0 over Clermont, and 3:1 over PSG, and playing in a 1:1 draw with Marseille. All in all, Monaco's form is a bit scary in the eyes of the Leverkusen players.

Bookmakers have preferred the hosts, with which we disagree. Monaco shows a gorgeous football, which is worthy of third place in the Ligue 1 table. Bayer has a different picture. The team left the Champions League, showing a kind of negligence, because its opponents were quite passable, while in six matches, the opponents earned only a worthless five points. In general, we suggest betting the second team not to lose.