Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen: UEFA Champions League CONFIRMED teams, match stats and LIVE blog!

Spearheaded by the in-form Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen can take a big step towards automatic progress to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a win away at Atlético Madrid on Matchday 7 of the league phase on Tuesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

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Altético: Oblak (c) – Molina, Giménez, Lenglet, Galán -Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone – Griezmann, Alvarez
Leverkusen: Kovář – Mukiele, Tapsoba, Tah (c), Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo – Tella, Wirtz

Leverkusen lead

Leverkusen’s persistence pays off! Mukiele sends a searching cross from the right across the area, where Hincapié controls and sends back across Oblak and into the corner. That’s no more than the visitors deserve.

Wirtz warned

Harsh for the Leverkusen No.10, who was having his shirt pulled off him and told the referee as much soon afterwards. The Leverkusen player is booked for his protests.

Hosts pushing

Buoyed by a passionate backing, Atlético are attempting to create in the final third here. Diego Simeone’s side are lacking bite, however.

Tapsoba miss

The Leverkusen defender hits a very ambitious effort a long way over the crossbar. A little more composure needed from the Bundesliga champions here.

Up and away

Decent build-up from the Rojiblancos ends with Galán smashing a shot high and wide of the target.

Opportunity knocks

This game now represents a huge chance for Bayer 04 to enhance their qualification options. They’ve had six goal attempts to the hosts’ one so far and, facing ten men, will be desperate to convert their statistical and numerical advantage into a goal.

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Xhaka has a go

The Swiss midfielder fancies his chances from distance but looks on to see Oblak gather easily.

Frimpong foul

Frimpong fells Griezmann on the left and the crowd are up in arms. It’s nothing more than a free kick but the home fans are now in defiant mode. This is getting tasty.

Atlético down to ten

Pablo Barrios comes through the back of Mukiele and lands his studs on the Bayer 04 man’s calf. The referee whips out a yellow cards but is soon going to check his monitor. After seeing the incident again, the official takes out a red card and Barrios is off.

Tella effort

Tella, right-footed from outside the D, sends the ball goalwards. Oblak is there again to save.

All Bayer 04

Leverkusen come again and this time it’s Frimpong providing for Wirtz, whose close-range effort is beaten out by Oblak.

Goal ruled out

Grimaldo is really hurting the hosts and it’s his cross that is knocked in from close range by Tella, whose effort is ruled out for offside.

Hincapié chance!

Grimaldo moves onto a ball popped over the top and gets to the byline before pulling all the way back for Hincapié, who fires over.

Hoping to take advantage

Xabi Alonso is on his feet and urging his players to take advantage of their start here …

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Bossing the ball

The visitors have had 66 per cent possession until this point, although Atlético are starting to come more into this game as the minutes pass.

Bayer counter

Tremendous counter-attack by Leverkusen, with Grimaldo freeing the onrushing Wirtz, who eventually returns the pass to his Spanish teammate inside the Atlético box. Luckily for the hosts, Galán is there to concede a corner, which comes to nothing.

Noisy fans

There is a tremendous atmosphere inside the Metropolitano and the home fans finally have something to get their teeth into with an Alvarez shot from range that Matěj Kovář had covered.

First shot

Palacios latches onto a loose ball and batters a shot at goal which zips narrowly wide of the upright. Solid start by the visitors.

Calmly does it

Leverkusen are popping it around in these early stages, with Atlético seemingly content to watch their opponents from a deep block.

Peeeep!

Bayer Leverkusen get us underway in Madrid.

Handshakes

Atlético and Bayer 04 get acquainted in the centre circle and all that’s left is for the referee to signal the start of this huge Champions League encounter.

Teams out

Both sides make their way out onto the pitch. Champions League anthem time.

Away support

There are around 1,500 Bayer 04 fans in the ground tonight and they will need to go that extra mile to out-roar their hosts this evening. Can Xabi Alonso’s men give the supporters something to get excited about? We’re soon to find out.

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Atlético anthem time

The stadium is not far from full and the home fans are belting out the club anthem as we await the appearance of both teams onto the pitch.

Bench options

What a luxury it is for Xabi Alonso to have two strikers of the quality of Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface on the bench tonight. The former is in flying form, having scored 12 goals in his last eight Bundesliga games while the sight of Boniface among the replacements will give everyone at Bayer 04 a lift, with the powerful forward having recovered from the hamstring injury that saw him miss the last 12 games in all competitions.

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Warming up

Both sides are going through the final stages of their respective warm-ups at the Metropolitano Stadium and we’re edging ever closer to kick-off!

More on those teams

Xabi Alonso makes five changes to his starting line-up compared to the team that began the weekend victory against Gladbach. Goalkeeper Matěj Kovář along with Nordi Mukiele, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong and Exequiel Palacios are all in from the get-go for the visitors. Patrik Schick drops to the bench, where he is joined by the fit again Victor Boniface. José María Giménez and Marcos Llorente come into Atlético’s side.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

Leverkusen starting XI

Kovář – Mukiele, Tapsoba, Tah (c), Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo – Tella, Wirtz

Leverkusen subs

Hrádecký, Lomb, Hofmann, Andrich, Arthur, Schick, Boniface, García, Hawighorst, Stepanov, Onyeka

Atlético starting XI

Oblak (c) – Molina, Giménez, Lenglet, Galán -Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone – Griezmann, Alvarez

Atlético subs

Musso, Antonio Gomis, Azpilicueta, Gallagher, Koke, Correa, Lemar, Lino, Riquelme, Witsel, Reinildo, Le Normand

Strong home record against German opposition

Atlético are unbeaten in their last 14 UEFA competition matches on home soil against Bundesliga opposition, since a 1-0 defeat by Dortmund in the 1996/97 Champions League group stage.

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Can Atlético bounce back?

Whilst Leverkusen may be on an 11-game winning streak, opponents Atlético were themselves enjoying a 15-game winning streak until it was derailed on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat against Leganés. Alonso will be hoping the Madrid side don’t rediscover their mojo against his Leverkusen team.

Xabi Alonso on facing Atlético Madrid

“You need a lot to get a result against Atletico. They can play at different levels – they can bide their time on the ball, but also be strong in challenges and accurate with their passing,” said Alonso before healing praise on opposite number Diego Simeone. “I have great respect for him. He has had a big influence on the club for 13 years. He has developed a clear DNA in that time and the current squad is possibly the best he has ever had. Therefore, they are justifiably very ambitious in this campaign.”

© IMAGO/Maximilian Koch

Diego Simeone on facing Bayer Leverkusen

“Xabi is doing an excellent job, as he showed last season, and he is on track to repeat it. He has a reference for how he saw football from the centre of the pitch, which is where it is best seen. [As a player] he had great coaches. We will have to take the game in a direction where we think we can do the damage on Tuesday.”

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2:59

Florian Wirtz watch

No doubt Atlético coach Diego Simeone will be warning his players to keep close tabs on Bayer 04 star Florian Wirtz. The Germany attacking wizard is lighting up the Bundesliga and Champions League this season and as well as 17 goal involvements in the former, his five goals in European club football’s top competition has the 21-year-old among the competition’s top scorers.

3:28

Schick danger

With 12 goals in his last eight Bundesliga games, striker Patrik Schick represents a real threat at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday. The Czech forward’s latest goal came on Saturday in Bayer’s win against Gladbach.

Alonso’s Atlético links

Bayer coach Xabi Alonso has a storied history against Atlético having lined out against them 16 times (winning 12) as a Real Madrid player and even scoring against the Spanish side while at Bayern Munich. The latter goal came in a 2016 Champions League semi-final, which Atleti won on away goals.

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Close encounters

This will be the 11th meeting between Atlético and Leverkusen in European competition and results until now could not be closer, with both sides winning three games each and playing out four draws.

© IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON/IMAGO/Sven Simon

Wirtz and Co. primed

Automatic qualification for the Round of 16 is in sight for the defending Bundesliga champions, who currently sit fourth in the Champions League standings after four wins from their six games. The Werkself have lost just once, to one of the tournament favourites Liverpool.

© IMAGO/Gladys Chai von der Laage

2:03

Bayer on a roll

Leverkusen are in flying form as they head to the Spanish capital, with Xabi Alonso’s side picking up their 11th win on the spin in all competitions against Gladbach at the weekend.

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Bayer Leverkusen’s seventh UEFA Champions League game of the 2024/25 league phase away at Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

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Leverkusen made it 11 straight wins and 12 games without defeat in all competitions with their 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday. Wirtz grabbed a brace, with the red-hot Patrik Schick – on th ebench here – netting the third, making it 12 goals in eight games for the Czech striker, although the Werkself lost Martin Terrier to injury inside 10 minutes and for the remainder of the season. Xabi Alonso‘s side remain hot on the heels of Bayern Munich, sitting four points behind Vincent Kompany‘s side and five clear of third place Eintracht Frankfurt. Leverkusen have been in equally impressive form in Europe, losing just one game in this campaign so far. That loss came at Liverpool in November – their sole away reverse of 2024 – and was followed by two wins and two clean sheets against Red Bull Salzburg (5-0) and Inter Milan (1-0). In total, Die Werkself have kept a clean sheet in four of their six Champions League games this season, showing that they’re just as impressive at the back as they are going forward. They currently sit fourth in the standings on 13 points, five points off Liverpool at the top and one point ahead of 11th-placed Atleti, and are also be boosted by the return of Victor Boniface to the substitutes bench.

Atlético are going strong domestically too, topping the LaLiga table until Sunday when overtaken by local rivals Real Madrid. Prior to the weekend’s 1-0 defeat away to Leganés, they had won eight games on the bounce, keeping five clean sheets and scoring 18 goals to fire them into first place. Antoine Griezmann (seven) and former RB Leipzig man Alexander Sørloth (eight) are their top scorers domestically, while Julián Alvarez leads the way in Europe with four goals from four games. They’ve lost two of their opening six Champions League games, falling short against Benfica (4-0) and Lille (3-1). Apart from those two hiccups, Atleti have looked assured, winning the remaining four games and scoring 13 times in the process, with just three goals being conceded. Their position in the Champions League table is somewhat misleading, as six teams lie level on 13 points and a further four (including Diego Simeone’s men) sit level on 12 points.

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach – highlights

Match stats

• Wirtz has five goals in six Champions League games this season. Ahead of Matchday 7, only Robert Lewandowski (seven), Raphinha and Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy (both six) have more.
• Leverkusen are Germany’s highest-placed team after six matches in the revamped Champions League. They are the only one of five currently on course to qualify directly for the last 16.
• Bayer have met Atleti on 10 previous occasions in UEFA competition, including eight Champions League fixtures. They’re unbeaten in their last three (W2, D1) and have only lost twice in normal time.
• Alonso faced Simeone’s Atlético four times as a player in the Champions League – all with Bayern (W2, D2).
• Leverkusen’s head coach won the Champions League as a player with Liverpool (2004/05) and Real Madrid (2013/14).
• Axel Witsel made 105 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund between 2018 and 2022, while Sørloth has the experience of 30 German top-flight outings in Leipzig colours (five goals).

CONFIRMED teams

Altético: Oblak (c) – Molina, Giménez, Lenglet, Galán -Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone – Griezmann, Alvarez
Subs: Musso, Antonio Gomis, Azpilicueta, Gallagher, Koke, Correa, Lemar, Lino, Riquelme, Witsel, Reinildo, Le Normand
Out: Sørloth (muscular)
Coach: Diego Simeone

Leverkusen: Kovář – Mukiele, Tapsoba, Tah (c), Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo – Tella, Wirtz
Subs: Hrádecký, Lomb, Hofmann, Andrich, Arthur, Schick, Boniface, García, Hawighorst, Stepanov, Onyeka
Out: Adli (broken leg), Belocian (cruciate ligament), Terrier (Achilles)
Coach: Xabi Alonso