Leverkusen Face Milan in Champions League Showdown
Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan meet for the first time in European competition on Tuesday night at the BayArena, both aiming to secure a crucial three points in their Champions League group-stage campaign. Leverkusen come into the match on the back of a dominant opening win, while Milan look to bounce back after a disappointing start.
Match Preview
Bayer Leverkusen announced their return to the Champions League in style, hammering Feyenoord 4-0 away from home in a clinical performance. Florian Wirtz shone with two goals, setting a new German record on his debut. Now, Leverkusen will aim for back-to-back victories, something they haven’t achieved in their opening two group matches since 2001, the season when they reached the final.
Leverkusen are unbeaten in nine UEFA home matches and have been in strong form domestically, although defensive issues have emerged after conceding 10 goals in five Bundesliga games. Head coach Xabi Alonso, a Champions League winner himself, will hope to lead his side to another victory while tightening up defensively.
AC Milan, on the other hand, suffered a tough 3-1 loss to Liverpool in their opener, leaving them desperate for a result to get their European campaign back on track. Despite their struggles in Europe, Milan have enjoyed a recent domestic resurgence, highlighted by a dramatic 2-1 win over arch-rivals Inter Milan and a comfortable 3-0 victory against Lecce. Now second in Serie A, Paulo Fonseca's side will look to bring that form into their Champions League challenge.
Team News
Leverkusen are likely to retain most of the team that faced Bayern Munich last weekend. Granit Xhaka is set to anchor the midfield, while Florian Wirtz, who has been in red-hot European form, will be the key attacking threat. Robert Andrich, who scored against Bayern, may start alongside Xhaka.
For Milan, Christian Pulisic is in outstanding form, having scored in four consecutive Serie A matches. He will be partnered by Rafael Leao and Tammy Abraham in attack, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be recalled to strengthen the midfield. However, Milan will be without several key players due to injury, including Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi.
Possible Lineups
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface
AC Milan: Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Abraham
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