Three key factors for last-16 first leg against Leverkusen

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FC Bayern München

·4 March 2025

Three key factors for last-16 first leg against Leverkusen

Time for part one of the all-German battle in the Champions League round of 16! FC Bayern host Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Wednesday night (live text and free Web Radio on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app from 21:00 CET) in the first leg at the Allianz Arena. The Munich men are looking for a win at home to put themselves in a good position for the second leg in Leverkusen next Tuesday. Find all the important information about the clash with the Werkself in the preview.

Final training session, press conference & more – all the updates from Bayern's day before the first leg against Leverkusen:

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Kompany ahead of Leverkusen: 'Something special can always happen'

Latest news from Bayern

After finishing 12th in the league phase, Bayern qualified for the last 16 via the play-offs against Celtic (2-1 in Glasgow, 1-1 in Munich). There they face Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen for the fourth time in the current season. After two draws in the league (1-1 in Munich, 0-0 in Leverkusen) and a 1-0 defeat in the DFB Cup, the Bavarians are due a first victory of the campaign against the Werkself. The last two outings in the league have boosted confidence for this difficult assignment, with Bayern impressing in convincing wins over Eintracht Frankfurt (4-0) and at VfB Stuttgart (3-1). The stats in the Champions League are also cause for optimism: FCB are unbeaten at home in Europe in almost four years and have progressed in 16 of their 20 appearances at this stage of the competition.

"Both teams have a lot of individual quality and a lot of intensity," said coach Vincent Kompany in Tuesday's pre-match press conference. "The games so far have always been on the edge. We mustn't forget that there are two games but we're at home tomorrow, which also needs its own mentality. You have to be present in every challenge, try your best in every situation, so that your team gain an advantage." Defender Alphonso Davies outlined the key factors for the match: "It's not about sitting back, especially not at home. We're going into the game with intensity, enthusiasm and motivation and want to get the job done."

Nothing routine about Leverkusen tie as Bayern turn to trump card

The opponents: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Leverkusen qualified directly for the round of 16 by virtue of finishing sixth in the league phase. Xabi Alonso's team performed particularly strongly at home, winning all four of their games at the BayArena. On the road, the defending German champions collected four points from four outings. This is the sixth time in total that the Werkself have been among the last 16 teams of the Champions League since the competition was reformed for the 2003/04 season, but they've never made it to the quarter-finals.

Bayer 04 have been anything but easy opponents for FCB in recent years, with the Munich men winless in the last six encounters. "I think both teams are absolutely at the same level and I believe the two best German teams with the best, most attractive and most successful football now face each other," said Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah in an interview on the club's website. "Leverkusen have earned the right to be seen as top opponents," commented Kompany. "We hope we can contain Leverkusen's qualities as a team and that we get the best performance from our individual players."

Leverkusen travel to Munich on the back of a comfortable win:

Leverkusen victorious before facing Bayern in Champions League

The team news

Joshua Kimmich, who was absent for the German record champions in the last match against Stuttgart because of a tendon issue, has been back in training with the team. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz is also back in training after his kidney contusion. Aleksandar Pavlović was absent again on Tuesday because of illness.

For Leverkusen, long-term absentees Jeanuël Belocian (cruciate ligament) and Martin Terrier (Achilles) are out. Robert Andrich has not travelled to Munich either due to illness. Edmond Tapsoba, who was absent against Frankfurt on Saturday with a muscular problem, is fit again though.

The facts on the match against Leverkusen:

Facts ahead of Bayern vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League

What the coaches say

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We spoke with Michael Ballack about the meeting between Bayern and Leverkusen:

Michael Ballack interview: 'A clash on an equal footing'