Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid: Team News, Preview, Live Stream & TV Info
Bayer Leverkusen welcome Atletico Madrid to the BayArena on Wednesday, with the teams set to clash in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League tie.
For the hosts, the meeting with the Spanish champions comes in the middle of a difficult run, with Roger Schmidt's men having won just one of their last six games and two of their last 10.
That barren stretch has seen Leverkusen's director of sport, Rudi Voller, move to quell pressure surrounding Schmidt this week, insisting that the club has complete confidence in its manager.
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"We have total faith in the squad and also in the coach," Voller told Sky television, per ESPN FC. "There are reasons why we appointed Schmidt, and that's because we have a concept to reach our goals and play attractive football with this coach."
The Werkself have certainly achieved an attractive style, utilising a high-tempo approach based around pressing that has allowed them to score freely with a forward setup featuring Karim Bellarabi, Heung-Min Son, Hakan Calhanoglu and Stefan Kiessling.
But a leaky defence and a habit for dropping points from winning positions has hurt Bayer's season consistently—something that was seen on Saturday when Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz dramatically scored in extra time to rescue a point for the home side.
Leverkusen will also be without Omer Toprak and Robbie Kruse on Wednesday due to suspension and injury respectively. Lars Bender and Tin Jedvaj are also doubtful for the hosts, per Goal.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, enter this clash with an outstanding recent record in the European competition. After reaching last season's final, Diego Simeone's men topped Group A with four wins, one draw and five consecutive clean sheets following an opening-round loss to Olympiakos.
Los Colchoneros also rebounded strongly on the weekend after their surprising defeat to Celta Vigo, cruising past Almeria in clinical fashion and recapturing the sort of form shown in the emphatic 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid.
Thus, the visitors will arrive at the BayArena full of confidence and with a settled lineup that is being led by the dynamic forward pairing of Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic.
For Simeone's men, the only notable absence is likely to be Koke, who suffered a hamstring injury during the clash with Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon on February 7 and hasn't featured since.
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 25
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET/8:45 p.m. local
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
Form Lines
| D: 2-2 vs. Augsburg | W: 3-0 vs. Almeria |
| L: 4-5 vs. Wolfsburg | L: 2-0 vs. Celta Vigo |
| L: 2-1 vs. Werder Bremen | W: 4-0 vs. Real Madrid |
| W: 1-0 vs. Hertha Berlin | W: 3-1 vs. Eibar |
| D: 0-0 vs. Borussia Dortmund | L: 2-3 vs. Barcelona |
| D: 1-1 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt | W: 3-1 vs. Rayo Vallecano |
Predicted Lineups
Players to Watch
Schmidt's preferred centre-back pairing this season has been Toprak and Emir Spahic, but with the Turk suspended for Wednesday's clash, Kyriakos Papadopoulos is likely to stand alongside Spahic at the heart of the hosts' defence.
For the Greek, marking the likes of Mandzukic and Griezmann will be a demanding task, with the Atletico duo forming one of the most effective strike partnerships in Europe this season.
Of course, Papadopoulos is extremely confident, powerful in the air (important against Mandzukic) and is a strong tackler, but his aggressive mentality and inclination to push forward can leave his team vulnerable to efficient opponents in attack.
For the visitors, it's Griezmann who's in simply irresistible form at present. With 11 goals in his last 13 appearances, the Frenchman has taken his season tally to 17 in all competitions and is rapidly looking like one of Europe's best signings of 2014.
Fast, deadly accurate with his shooting and possessing sublime movement around the penalty area, the 23-year-old has become a devastating weapon for Simeone.
Tellingly, Atletico have only lost once all season when Griezmann has scored.
Key Battle
This match feels like one of those games that will be heavily decided by the tactics employed by the respective managers.
Under Schmidt, Bayer Leverkusen play at an almost frenetic pace and use their forwards to press the opposition in their own half. Basically, they defend from the front.
But, as always with intense pressing, Bayer can be vulnerable if the opponent can navigate through the press and break into the spaces left behind.
When playing away from home, that still tends to be Atletico's strength: absorbing pressure before utilising the right-sided pairing of Juanfran and Arda Turan to break down the right and deliver balls to Mandzukic and Griezmann.
That approach is in contrast to the way they're now playing at the Vicente Calderon, where their own high press stifles opponents and allows them to dominate the territory battle.
On Wednesday, the duel between Leverkusen's press and Atletico's ability to counter-attack from deep positions will be fascinating.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Bayer Leverkusen: 11-5
Draw: 11-5
Atletico Madrid: 3-2
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