Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

The loss of Florian Wirtz is likely to prove a catastrophic one for Leverkusen's chances. Coming off the back of two successive defeats and the loss of their star player, morale will be heavily damaged, and against a Bayern team with the wind in their sails, this will likely be a step too far. Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Bayern Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen are looking to do the unthinkable and overturn a three-goal deficit as they take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16.

• Date: 11/03/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: BayArena, Leverkusen

Leverkusen were hammered 3-0 in Munich last week in a game where everything that could possibly go wrong, did go wrong. The Bundesliga champions fell behind to an exquisite header from Harry Kane, and early in the second half, goalkeeper Matěj Kovář made a huge error to gift Jamal Musiala a tap-in. After that, full-back Nordi Mukiele was shown a second yellow card for a needless challenge, and Leverkusen later gave away a penalty that Kane duly converted.

Leverkusen were, in no small part, the architects of their own downfall, in a performance that was defined by self-destruction. Xabi Alonso’s side entered the game unbeaten in their last six meetings with Bayern Munich, so many fancied them to come out of this tie victorious, but they’ve given themselves everything to do on Tuesday night and now need a monstrous performance to flip the tie on its head.

If there’s one thing that’s defined this Leverkusen side under Alonso it’s resilience and a never-say-die attitude, and they’ll need to harness those qualities as much as possible this week if they’re to beat Bayern by a three-goal margin. You should never say never in football, but Leverkusen making the quarterfinals feels very unlikely.

Bayern will feel as though German football’s longstanding dynamic has been restored. After over a year of being subordinate to Leverkusen, it now feels like the Bavarians are back on top. Vincent Kompany’s side have an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga and having finally delivered a commanding win over Leverkusen, they’ll well and truly feel like the kings of Germany again.

Bayern’s only gripe with how last week went will be that they didn’t make it 4-0. João Palhinha missed an absolute sitter at the the end following some excellent work by Musiala, and had that gone it, it would’ve well and truly been game over. That, though, has given Leverkusen a glimmer of light, and Bayern will know that the job is not yet done. Still, it would take an almighty collapse by Bayern to let this slip at this stage.

Vincent Kompany rested the majority of his team at the weekend in full preparation for this tie, as did Leverkusen, so the stage is set for an all-out war. The atmosphere will be a raucous one and Bayern will have to navigate that, particularly in the early stages, but their experience and quality should see them through.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 1.

Bayer Leverkusen Team News:

The home side are sweating over the fitness of star man Florian Wirtz, who was forced off at the weekend with an ankle injury, which led to the German international leaving the stadium on crutches.

At this point, Wirtz looks likely to miss out, meaning he'll join Jonas Hoffman, Robert Andrich, Martin Terrier and Jeanuel Belocian on the sidelines, while Nordi Mukiele is unavailable through suspension.

Predicted lineup: Kovar; Arthur, Tah, Hermoso, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Schick, Tella.

Bayern Munich Team News:

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after tearing a muscle in his calf, so Jonas Urbig will deputise in his absence.

Tarek Buchmann and Aleksandar Pavlovic are both out injured, but these three players make up the full extent of the Bavarian's injury list.

Predicted lineup: Urbig; Laimer, Upamecano, Min-jae, Davies; Goretzka, Kimmich; Olise, Musiala, Coman; Kane.

Bayer Leverkusen:

Leverkusen come into this game amidst a mixed run of form, with two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five games. At the weekend, a much-changed Leverkusen side were beaten 0-2 by Werder Bremen, a result that followed the 3-0 hammering at the hands of Bayern last week.

Before that, Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 away from home thanks to goals from Nathan Tella, Nordi Mukiele, Patrik Schick and Aleix Garcia, a result that followed 2-0 win away at Holstein Kiel, courtesy of Schick and Amine Adli, and a 0-0 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich:

Bayern are strong form, with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five outings. Like Leverkusen, Bayern fielded a heavily rotated XI at the weekend and fell to a defeat, with Bochum condemning them to a 2-3 loss.

Prior to that, Bayern beat Leverkusen 3-0, which was preceded by a 3-1 win away at Stuttgart, with Olise, Goretzka and Coman bagging the goals; a 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to Olise, Ito, Musiala and Gnabry; and a 1-1 draw with Celtic, where Davies rescued the tie late on after extra time was on the horizon.

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