Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

This should be an even game between two sides desperate to win. Home advantage for Atlético is big, especially given Leverkusen's last two Champions League games away from home have seen them lose 4-0 to Liverpool and draw 1-1 with Brest. Whether that'll be enough for a win is a different matter, with the Germans arguably the superior side.

BTTS has occurred in three of Atlético's last four in the Champions League and three of Leverkusen's last four in the league, so we fancy both sides to find the back of the net in this one. In a game between two sides of similar quality, we think the spoils will be shared. Atlético Madrid 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen.

Two sides neck and neck in the Champions League table meet this week as Atlético Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen scramble to secure automatic progression to the knockout stage of this season’s competition.

• Date: 21/01/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

Atlético Madrid currently sit 11th in the Champions League table with 12 points from six games. The Spanish side will be kicking themselves somewhat over their current position. Diego Simeone’s side were given one of the easier fixture lists in this season’s competition, and while they did win away at PSG, heavy defeats to Benfica and Lille have left them needing a win over the German champions to secure a place in the knockout round automatically.

Atlético are firing on all cylinders in La Liga, where they’ve been top of the league for the last few weeks, but a shock defeat at the weekend has jeopardised their place at the summit of the table.

At the age of 33, Antoine Griezmann is still a key player for Atlético and is arguably still their talisman. Griezmann has 12 goals and 6 assists this season, making him Atlético’s largest goal contributor this season. With 14 goals in all competitions, Julián Alvarez has also played his part in the team’s campaign. After a slow start, Alvarez is steadily improving, but he still has some way to go to justify the monumental price tag that Atlético paid Manchester City for his services.

Atlético are as good as guaranteed a play-off spot, so even if they lose here, all is not done. A win, though, would likely mean they’ll enter the final matchday against Salzburg with automatic progression to the next round in their hands.

Bayer Leverkusen are currently 4th in the Champions League table with 13 points from six games. This season, the German club have been showing that last season’s historic campaign was not a flash in the pan as they continue to compete for trophies on multiple fronts.

A heavy defeat to Liverpool aside, Xabi Alonso’s side have been strong in the Champions League, claiming wins against both Milan clubs. However, being away from home, this game will likely be slightly tougher, with Leverkusen’s last two European road trips producing only a point.

As he was last season, Florian Wirtz has been the main man for Leverkusen this season, producing an impressive 23 goal contributions in 28 appearances - in the shape of 14 goals and 9 assists. However, striker Patrik Schick is arguably the more impressive story; the Czech forward is in his sixth season at Leverkusen and played a very limited part in the team’s exploits last season, but he’s completely exploded this campaign and comes into this game as the team’s top scorer with 16 goals.

Leverkusen have quality all over the pitch and sit just four points shy of a rejuvenated Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. They’re by no means the favourites for this competition, but given the field of competition is comparatively weak against years gone by, they’re definitely in the running.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 2.

Atlético Madrid Team News:

Diego Simeone will be unable to call upon the services of Rodrigo Riquelme, Alexander Sørloth and José María Giménez, all of whom are out injured.

Changes from the weekend's starting XI are likely, with Marcos Llorente and Koke pushing for recalls.

Predicted lineup: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher; Griezmann, Álvarez.

Bayer Leverkusen Team News:

Leverkusen are only missing Amine Adli and Jeanuël Belocian, so they're in pretty good shape on the whole.

Piero Hincapié and Jeremie Frimpong will both hoping to named in the starting lineup, with Xabi Alonso likely to make a couple of changes from the weekend.

Predicted lineup: Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapié; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz; Schick.

Atlético Madrid:

Atlético's form on the whole is strong, with Simeone's side winning four and losing one of their last five games. That defeat did come in their most recent outing, though, where they fell to a shock 1-0 loss away at Leganés.

Before that, Atlético cruised to a 4-0 win over Elche in the Copa del Rey courtesy of an Alexander Sørloth brace and goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Julián Alvarez, which came after a 1-0 win over Osasuna thanks to Alvarez.

Those results followed a 1-0 win over Marbella, where Antoine Griezmann scored the goal, and a 2-1 win over Barcelona thanks to Rodrigo De Paul and Sørloth.

Bayer Leverkusen:

Just as they have been for the past year, Bayer Leverkusen come into this game in imperious form, winning all of their last five games. On Saturday, a Florian Wirtz brace and a goal from Patrick Schick was enough for a 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, which was preceded by a 1-0 win over Mainz, thanks to Álex Grimaldo, and a 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, where Nathan Tella and Schick (X2) were the scorers.

Prior to that, Leverkusen beat Freiburg 5-1, thanks to four goals from Schick and a goal from Wirtz, which was preceded by a 2-0 win over Augsburg, where Martin Terrier and Wirtz scored the goals.

• Latest match predictions
• Football tips
• Football accumulator tips
• Football bet of the day