The UEFA Champions League second legs of the round of 16 ties commence this week with plenty of drama still to come. Bayer Leverkusen have a mountain to climb after being resoundingly beaten 3-0 at the Allianz Arena last Wednesday, and suspensions and injuries have piled up for Die Werkself to make their task even tougher. Nonetheless Xabi Alosno’s side will be giving their all to claim an historic comeback against their Bundesliga rivals on Tuesday night [20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET].
With both sides suffering defeats on Saturday at home in the Bundesliga, they will be looking to get back to winning ways. For Leverkusen, that as an opportunity missed to close the gap on the league leaders. Retaining the title seems unrealistic at this point, so they will relish they’re desperate to crush Bayern’s dream of lifting the Champions League trophy at the Allianz Arena in May.
The hosts will be missing a vital piece of their starting eleven come kick-off, as the mercurial Florian Wirtz picked up an injury on Saturday that will keep him out till April. The odds are well and truly stacked up against them.
The Stats
Bayern claimed the bragging rights last week in the first ever European match-up between the two sides. However the Bavarian outfit couldn’t carry the winning feeling forward into the Bundesliga, as they were beaten 3-2 by VfL Bochum on Saturday despite taking a two-goal lead. João Palhinha’ dismissal in the 42nd minute certainly didn’t help them. Prior to defeat, Bayern were unbeaten in 10 games, emerging victorious on eight occasions.
Harry Kane comes into the second leg on the back of his brace last week which took the Englishman up to nine goals in the Champions League, and only one shy of the competition’s top scorer Serhou Guirassy.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeverkusen suffered defeat on Saturday in the Bundesliga against Werder Bremen, which was the first at home in 18 games. That said, they have emerged victorious in each of their past four at BayArena in the UEFA Champions League without conceding.
Alonso’s side have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games in all competitions, losing consecutive matches for the first time since May 2023.
Team News
Leverkusen defender Nordi Mukiele is suspended after his red card at the Allianz Arena last week, while Jeanuël Belocian will miss the rest of the season through injury. Midfielder Robert Andrich is a doubt as a result of illness, and his absence may lead Alonso to start Exequiel Palacios next to Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen will also be missing Wirtz until the beginning of April, and his injury could see Amine Adli join Nathan Tella and Victor Boniface in attack.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs for Bayern, Manuel Neuer is not scheduled to return until late March due to a calf injury, so expect Jonas Urbig to be stationed in goal behind centre backs Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae.
Joshua Kimmich is likely to feature in midfield, and he may be joined in a double pivot by Leon Goretzka. Kane will lead the forward line, and fans are likely to see him supported by Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala.
TV Guide
Coverage of the UEFA Champions League has been split across TNT Sports and Amazon Prime in the United Kingdom. The all-German affair is available on TNT Sports 3 and can be streamed via Discovery+, with coverage starting from with kick off scheduled for 20:00 GMT.
For supporters in Germany, the match will be available to watch via the free-to-air Sport1 with kick off at 21:00 CET.
FromTheSpot Prediction
The odds are firmly against Die Werkself after last week’s defeat in Munich. With a three goal margin to overturn, suspensions and the absence of dangerman Wirtz, it’s fair to argue that Leverkusen’s backs will be against the wall. With that in mind we envisage a fight-back from the hosts to win 2-1, however Bayern will prevail 4-2 on aggregate.
The damage done in the first leg was substantial and that will likely be the important factor in Tuesday’s encounter. While the current Bundesliga champions cannot be fully ruled out from a memorable comeback, the quality that Bayern have to counter Alonso’s side who will have to take risks to turn the tide at the BayArena.
For the winner, either Feyenoord or Lille await in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, with both sides sensing an opportunity of European glory with a favourable route to the semi-finals.