Bayern Munich will host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League in what should be a hard-fought battle between two very strong clubs.
Theoretically, Bayern Munich should have the advantage at home, but the Bavarians have two draws and one loss against Bayer Leverkusen already this season. As you can tell, Die Werkself seems to have the unique ability to stifle Bayern Munich at a time where many other teams have not been so lucky.
The feeling here is that this will be a very rough-and-tumble-match that will be physical and played with a ton of attitude. Some parts will look beautiful, while others could look ugly — with each team posing a threat, but neither actually asserting full control of the match.
Since both teams know each other from the Bundesliga, this European matchup is sure to be tense. Bayern, who has a history of winning this competition, will try to take advantage of playing at home. Leverkusen, on the other hand, will try to keep up their strong defense play and make things difficult for their rivals.
Bayern has won four of their last five games in all competitions, so they are in good shape going into this game. Two decisive wins, 4-0 over Frankfurt and 3-1 over Stuttgart, showed how strong they were on offense. But their most recent Champions League game finished in a 1-1 draw with Celtic, which makes people wonder how well they can break down deep defensive blocks.
In the meantime, Leverkusen has also been very good, going undefeated in their last five games. They beat Frankfurt 4-1 and beat Kiel 2-0 away in the Bundesliga, which shows how good they are on the road. But their last two games against Bayern finished in 0-0 draws, which shows that they have the defensive discipline to make things tough for the big Bavarian team.
Without a doubt, Bayern will try to start pressing right away. They have some of the best scoring players in Europe, but they have had trouble against teams that protect deep and attack quickly. Breaking down Leverkusen’s tight defense while staying safe on the run will be very important for Bayern.
Leverkusen, on the other hand, will be happy to sit back and take the pressure, counting on quick changes to make Bayern’s defense work hard. They’ve been tough in big games, and their ability to keep their defensive shape while taking advantage of gaps behind Bayern’s high line could be the key to victory.
