Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid – Champions League Preview

Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid – Tuesday 19:45 GMT/20:45 CET BayArena – Leverkusen.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid will take place on Tuesday in the BayArena in Leverkusen. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Bongarts/Getty Images)

When the draw was made in mid-December, Atlético Madrid, a club backed up by Plus500 CFD brokerage, were the absolute favourites for this tie. Bayer Leverkusen had a Hinrunde to forget and found themselves in mid-table rather than vying for one of the top three positions in the Bundesliga.

Bayer then had a terrible start to the Rückrunde as well, which led to suggestions that head coach Roger Schmidt could be on his way out. But then on matchday 20, Leverkusen finally started clicking; they defeated Eintracht Frankfurt who, up to this point, were one of the biggest surprise packages of the Bundesliga, 3-0.

Perhaps the most important factor of the victory was that Bayer Leverkusen’s Mexican star, Javier Hernández, better known as Chicharito, was back on the score sheet, having scored two wonderful goals against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayer Leverkusen will need Chicharito at his best if they want to get a positive result against one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Despite Atlético Madrid not having the best of seasons, they are still considered a heavy weight in European football, and must be considered favourites in this tie.

But there are positives for Bayer Leverkusen going into this match with Chicharito scoring again, and Atlético showing inconsistency in La Liga, and Atlético possibly playing without star keeper Jan Oblak, centre back Diego Godín and right-back Juanfran. This, therefore, could be the perfect time for Bayer Leverkusen to play Atlético Madrid.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid – Player to look out for:

Despite their problems this season Bayer Leverkusen are a side with many talented players. Their biggest star, without a doubt, is Chicharito. But young stars Julian Brandt, Benjamin Henrichs, and 17-year-old Kai Havertz will catch the eye of many scouts who will be watching the game. Julian Brandt, and Benjamin Henrichs have recently been linked to Bayern. Whereas Brandt has stated that he will not leave the club for Bayern anytime soon, Henrichs is seen as the successor to Philipp Lahm at Bayern. Kai Havertz, meanwhile, is the latest talent from Germany’s conveyor belt of young and talented players.

Chicharito has rediscovered his form in recent weeks. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Atlético Madrid, in the meantime, are another side with plenty of talent in the line-up. The most standout player is, of course, superstar, Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman has recently been linked to Manchester United, but put a major damper on the hopes of United fans when he stated that he does not fancy a move to England “because of the weather.” Another player to watch out for is Belgium national team player, Yannick Carrasco, who is always a danger up front.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid – Match Stats

• Atlético and Leverkusen have played four times in recent years, each team winning one game with two draws.
• Both claimed a 1-0 home victory in the 2014-15 round of 16.
• The German club’s record against Spanish teams is W10 D7 L18.
• Atlético’s overall record against German opponents reads: W18 D6 L14.
• Atlético have already faced one Bundesliga side this season, overcoming Bayern München 1-0 on matchday two but losing by the same score in their final group game.

Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid 1-1

Possible Lineups

Bayer Leverkusen

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Leno – Wendell, Jedvaj, Toprak, Henrichs – Kampl, Aránguiz – Brandt, Havertz, Bellarabi – Chicharito

Manager: Roger Schmidt

Atlético Madrid

Formation: 4-4-2

Moyá – Filipe Luis, Hernández, Savić, Vrsaljko – Carrasco, Gabi, Ñiguez, Koke – Torres, Griezmann

Manager: Diego Simeone

By Manuel Veth –