Champions League | League Stage

Oct 1, 2024 at 8pm UK

BayArena

B. Leverkusen vs AC Milan

Match preview

After setting a new record last season, Bayer Leverkusen had a lot to live up to when they made their Champions League comeback. The 4-0 win against Feyenoord shows they can make a big impact this season too.

Florian Wirtz made history as the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut, helping Leverkusen record their biggest away victory in the competition to date.

Having got off to a flying start in their bid to reach the knockout rounds for the first time in eight years, Die Werkself could now win their opening two matches for the first time since 2001 – a season in which they went on to lose against Real Madrid in the final.

The German champions have been on a winning streak at home in UEFA competitions, with nine unbeaten matches in a row. They've also won five of six home games leading up to last season's Europa League final.

In general, Leverkusen has only lost two of their last 21 continental matches. Interestingly, both of those were against Italian teams – Roma and Atalanta BC, who they beat last season.

Since beating Feyenoord at De Kuip, the Bundesliga side edged a seven-goal thriller with Wolfsburg in typical last-gasp style, before drawing 1-1 with Bayern Munich in Munich, ending their 100% start to the season.

However, they've conceded 10 goals in their first five league games, so head coach Xabi Alonso – who scored Liverpool's third goal in the 2005 Champions League final against Milan – will be keen to tighten things up at the back.

Needless to say, Milan got their own back against Liverpool in the 2007 final, and the two European giants met again on this year's opening matchday.

The hosts just couldn't live with their Premier League opponents. They conceded 11 shots on target at San Siro, which is their joint-most on record in a Champions League fixture. Ultimately, they were defeated 3-1.

Milan have only won nine of their last 32 games at the elite level, despite making it through to the 2023 semi-finals. Their last away win was at Newcastle United last year, which was just their fourth in 17.

On the bright side, back-to-back league wins in less than a week have given the squad a new lease on life under new coach Paulo Fonseca, who was already facing talk of being sacked within weeks of his appointment.

After losing six derbies in a row, the Rossoneri finally beat their rivals Inter Milan. Matteo Gabbia, who has supported the team since he was a child, scored the winning goal in the last minutes of the game, securing a long-awaited 2-1 win.

After winning the first Derby della Madonnina, Fonseca's team then beat Lecce on Friday night. Álvaro Morata, Theo Hernández and Christian Pulisic scored in the first half, and the team won 3-0 at home. This took them to second in Serie A.

Recent Performance

Bayer Leverkusen Champions League form:W

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):WLWWWD

AC Milan Champions League form:L

AC Milan form (all competitions):LDWLWW

Injuries and suspensions

Leverkusen

11 Martin Terrier

AC Milan

57 Marco Sportiello

24 Alessandro Florenzi

4 Ismaël Bennacer

17 Noah Okafor

Possible starting lineups

Leverkusen(3-4-2-1)

1Hrádecky(GK)

12Tapsoba(DC)

3Hincapié(DC)

4Tah(DC)

30Frimpong(DMR)

20Grimaldo(DML)

8Andrich(MC)

34Xhaka(MC)

14Garcia(AMC)

10Wirtz(AMC)

22Boniface(FW)

AC Milan(4-2-3-1)

16Maignan(GK)

2Calabria(DR)

31Pavlovic(DC)

23Tomori(DC)

19Hernández(DL)

29Fofana(DMC)

8Loftus-Cheek(DMC)

11Pulisic(AMR)

14Reijnders(AMC)

10Leão(AML)

7Morata(FW)