Champions League: Can Bayer Breach Atleti's Fortress?

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen

Many teams have tried and failed, and now it’s the turn of Bayer Leverkusen to try to break down Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Peter Bosz faces another tough task as Leverkusen attempt to win their first point in Champions League Group D, and they arrive in poor form, having gone without a win since September. That’s hardly the sort of shape you need to be in to take on Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

A win for Los Rojiblancos would move them on to seven points and leave Bayer with a near-impossible task to catch either them or Juventus in order to qualify for the knockout phase. It would require a freakish set of Champions League 2019 results for the Germans to make the last 16 and that’s not what Bosz wants to rely on.

So he needs at least a point in Madrid.

Talking Points

Atleti’s cutting edge needs sharpening

And that’s not out of the question. Los Rojiblancos are as hard to beat as ever, but they have recently become draw specialists. One win in six in the league has left Atleti in fourth place but, frustratingly, only three points away from the top as all the big guns in La Liga have misfired at the start of the campaign.

Real Madrid lost away to Real Mallorca this weekend!

Atleti’s last six games in all competitions include four draws, and they have conceded just one goal but scored only five, two of those in Moscow.

Simeone rested winger Vitolo in the 1-1 draw with Valencia at the weekend and he remains doubtful with a hamstring problem. And more bad news came during the game when Joao Felix limped off with an ankle injury. It all means Simeone is likely to start with Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata upfront, and they both know where the goal is.

In defence, Kieran Trippier is likely to make a return and he can be a good supply of ammunition as an attacking wingback. He’s settled well in Madrid since his summer transfer from Spurs, and they are certainly missing him in North London.

Simeone will see this as an excellent chance to take a grip on the group after drawing the opener with Juventus and then winning in Moscow.

Bayer’s uphill struggle

You have to look a long way down the Champions League 2019 betting odds list here at SBOBET to find Bayer Leverkusen.

Die Werkself gave themselves a huge challenge in Group D when they opened their campaign with a shock 1-2 reversal at home to Lokomotiv Moscow, and then Leverkusen looked a little out of their depth in a 3-0 defeat to Juventus.

Champions League: Can Bayer Leverkusen win against Atletico Madrid? — Bayer Leverkusen players looking dejected after 3-0 loss to Juventus

The question is whether or not Bosz will settle for a draw to keep their campaign alive. Atleti are struggling for goals and Die Werkself will welcome back defender Jonathan Tah, who missed Germany’s recent games but was on the bench for Bayer against Frankfurt on Friday.

Their best chance of a goal is in the shape of highly-rated attacking midfielder Kai Havertz, while Lucas Alario is expected to be the German’s lone striker.

For all their struggles, Bayer Leverkusen sit in ninth place in the Bundesliga but are remarkably just two points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach and a positive result on Tuesday could kickstart their season.

History

In head-to-head encounters, Los Rojiblancos are slightly ahead in this tussle with two wins to one, and there have been three draws.

Their last meeting was a 0-0 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano in 2017, after Atleti had won the return tie in Germany, 2-4.

Leverkusen are in patchy form at best and have lost three of the last six matches in all competitions, and this is a tough place to try to find an elusive win.

Atleti haven’t lost at home to Bayer in three games, are unbeaten in 14 at home, and have won 18 of their last 23 European matches at the Wanda Metropolitano.

To make matters worse for the visitors, Atleti are on a nine-match unbeaten run at home against German opposition, while Die Werkself have won just two of their last 15 Champions League ties.