Atletico Madrid will host Bayer Leverkusen this Wednesday in the fifth group stage game of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League season.
Venue: Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid)
Key Statistics
Atletico Madrid have not lost at home to German opponents since 1996 (W8, D3).
The hosts are winless in their last three UCL games.
They have failed to score in their last three UCL games too.
Atlético haven’t scored a first-half goal in their past five UCL contests (W1, D2, L2).
Bayer Leverkusen have won just two of their last ten away games in the UCL (D4, L4).
They are unbeaten in their last five away games in all competitions.
The visitors have conceded eleven goals in their last three away games.
Head to head
Both sides have three wins apiece in nine head-to-head meetings.
Latest performances in all competitions
Atletico Madrid: W-D-W-D-W
Leverkusen: D-L-L-W-L
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have it all to play for on Wednesday when they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Wanda Metropolitano.
Diego Simeone’s side have endured a poor start to their UCL campaign with just one win (D1, L2) to their name after four games. Their only win came in the first game against FC Porto, since then, they have been beaten by both Club Brugge and their Wednesday opponents.
But they held ten-men Club Brugge to a goalless draw in their last outing in this tournament to rekindle their chances of qualifying from this group. However, that draw means that the Spanish club have failed to score in their last three UCL games.
They will hope to correct that anomaly when Leverkusen come visiting and to pick up a win that will position them to still be in the fight for qualification when they travel to Porto next round to face FC Porto.
Meanwhile, Diego Simeone’s men come into this game on the back of a huge 2-1 win over Real Betis in the Spanish La Liga. the result kept them firmly positioned in the top four in La Liga and unbeaten in their last extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to five games (W3, D2).
And so, they will come into this tie with some measure of confidence while a run of eleven games without defeat against German opponents (W8, D3) will also leave them confident.
Possible Atletico Madrid starting line-up
Jan Oblak; Felipe, Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savic, Reinildo Mandava; Angel Correa, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Axel Witsel, Saul Niguez; Alvaro Morata, Antoine Griezmann.
Injured: Koke, Thomas Lemar, Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilon
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen travel to the Spanish capital looking to end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
After starting life under former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso with a huge 4-0 thumping of Schalke in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen have failed to win in the three follow-up games.
Their last outing at the weekend was a disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg. In a frustrating game at BayArena, Xabi’s men threw away a one-goal lead to draw 2-2. The result leaves them sitting just one above the relegation in the Bundesliga table.
In the Champions League, their fortunes are not better. They currently sit bottom of Group B having won just one of their UCL games this season. That win came against Atletico in the second round.
But given their form, especially away from home, it is hard to envision another win. Die Werkself are winless in their last five away games, losing the last three in that sequence by a combined 11-1 aggregate.
In fact, they have won just one away game in all competitions this season, losing six times and failing to score on four occasions. Their chances of a miraculous win here is slim, as is their chance of qualifying for their first knockout appearance since 2016/17 given that they will have to win their last two UCL games while hoping that Porto fails to win any of their last two games.
Possible Leverkusen starting line-up
Lukas Hradecky; Odilon Kossounou, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah; Jeremie Frimpong, Mitchel Bakker, Robert Andrich, Kerem Demirbay; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Moussa Diaby, Amine Adli.
Injured: Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick, Exequiel Palacios, Karim Bellarabi, Sardar Azmoun, Charles Aranguiz
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen
