UEFA Champions League Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction
One of the most highly anticipated fixtures in the 2024//25 UEFA Champions League calendar pits Bayer Leverkusen and Inter against each other on Tuesday night. BayArena sets the stage for a heavyweight clash between reigning Bundesliga and Serie A champions, with the automatic qualification spot on the line.
Despite a stuttering start to their title defense on the domestic front, Xabi Alonso’s men are on course to secure a last-16 berth at Europe’s top table. Leverkusen humbled out-of-sorts RB Salzburg 5-0 in the previous round to lift to sixth in the 36-team table, albeit level on points with ninth-placed Aston Villa.
Given the fierce competition for automatic promotion, there’s almost no wriggle room as Die Werkself head into proceedings seeking a sixth consecutive win in all competitions. A tight 2-1 home triumph against Bundesliga newcomers St. Pauli at the weekend ensured Leverkusen didn’t lose further ground on table-topping Bayern Munich.
Buoyed by their ongoing purple patch, the German giants entertain high-flying Inter on home turf in the first Champions League meeting between the teams in over two decades. Indeed, the Nerazzurri faced Leverkusen in the 2002/03 second stage, pulling off victories in both legs, including a 2-0 win on this ground.
Inter will aim to replicate that success on Tuesday and take a potentially vital step to clinch a coveted top-eight finish. The 20-time Serie A champions have enjoyed a stellar European campaign thus far, winning four successive matches without conceding since a scoreless draw at Manchester City on matchday one.
As a result, they sit second in the standings, two points adrift of table-topping Liverpool pre-round.
Match Preview
Bayer Leverkusen
With three points separating them from Inter ahead of the kick-off, Leverkusen could leapfrog their opposition in the table if only they can defy a 100% lose ratio in this fixture. In addition to losing both legs in the Champions League 21 years ago, Die Werkself suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Nerazzurri in their 2019/20 UEFA Europa League quarter-final one-off tie.
Driven by revenge, Alonso’s lads will be out to pull off a league-phase double against both San Siro clubs after seeing off Milan 1-0 in round two. Adding to Leverkusen’s confidence, they’ve emerged victorious from seven of their last eight home outings in major UEFA competitions (D1), winning both such encounters this season ‘to nil.’
Triumphs against Milan and Salzburg form part of Leverkusen’s telling nine-game unbeaten run at the BayArena (W7, D2), with four of those seven wins seeing them score 3+ goals. Delivering action from the onset, five of Leverkusen’s last seven home games have featured a goal on or before the tenth minute.
Inter
History beckons for Inter as they bid to become the first Italian club since Juventus in 2012/13 to win five consecutive Champions League fixtures without conceding. Achieving that feat would, in turn, mark an unprecedented milestone in this competition’s history, making the Nerazzurri the first team to keep a clean sheet in the first six matches of a specific campaign.
Inter will make this journey in high spirits after winning their last five competitive away matches, looking to defy an indifferent record across their four most recent Champions League travels (W1, D2, L1). With four of those five victories coming ‘to nil,’ the visitors seem well-positioned to enter the Champions League folklore.
Furthermore, Simone Inzaghi’s charges eased past newly promoted Parma 3-1 last Friday to extend their formidable unbeaten streak in all competitions to 13 matches (W11, D2) and consolidate their Scudetto defense.
Team News
Patrik Schick’s availability is up in the air. The Czech forward has sustained a calf injury and will likely skip this contest alongside Jonas Hofmann and Amine Adli. Schick isn’t the only missing forward in the Leverkusen camp, as Victor Boniface hasn’t played for the club since returning from international duty with a thigh problem.
On the other hand, Benjamin Pavard is the only Inter star out of contention for the matchday squad. Indeed, Davide Frattesi, Francesco Acerbi, and Carlos Augusto have regained full fitness and will be at Inzaghi’s disposal for this blockbuster showdown.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter Potential Starting Line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen (3-5-2): Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Tella.
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Taremi
Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter Prediction
It’s hard to put it past Leverkusen to become the first Champions League team this season to break Inter’s rock-solid backline. However, we cannot envisage the Italians’ slip-up. On the contrary, Inzaghi’s men are in good shape to end the Germans’ revival.
