Leverkusen v PSG: German side’s attack and injury concerns | OneFootball

This Tuesday, October 21, Paris Saint-Germain (3rd) faces Bayer Leverkusen (25th) at the BayArena (kick-off at 9 PM, broadcast on Canal+) during the 3rd matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League. And as before every match, here is the presentation of the Parisians' opponent.

The situation of Bayer Leverkusen –

A major club in German football with over 100 years of existence, Bayer Leverkusen has a rather sparse and belated trophy cabinet. They won the German Cup and the Bundesliga in 2024 after an incredible unbeaten season, except for the defeat conceded in the Europa League final. There was also the German Super Cup that year, as well as the 1993 German Cup.

Otherwise, Leverkusen has mostly been at the top of the standings, even finishing 2nd. Not to forget the 2002 Champions League final, marked by Zinedine Zidane's famous volley. This season is one of great renewal. After some great years under coach Xabi Alonso (2022-2025), he left for Real Madrid. This was accompanied by numerous transfers, including the departure of "key" players from the Spanish coach's team.

The start was catastrophic, Erik Ten Hag was dismissed during the September break and replaced by Kasper Hjulmand. He has significantly improved their league performance, less so in the Champions League. Today, Leverkusen is 5th in the Bundesliga. But they only have 2 points in Europe after draws against Copenhagen (2-2) and PSV Eindhoven (1-1).

The summer transfer window 2025 –

Source: Transfermarkt.

Departures:

Arrivals:

Main statistics –

This season, Bayer Leverkusen is among the 17th best attacks in the Champions League with 3 goals scored (the first, Bayern Munich, has 8, and the last, Ajax Amsterdam and Olympiakos, have 0), and is among the 2nd best defenses with 3 goals conceded (Arsenal and Inter Milan have the best defense with 0 goals conceded, the last, Kairat Almaty, has 9).

The top scorers of the German club are Alejandro Grimaldo (29-year-old scorer) and Christian Kofane, with 1 goal, they are among the 18th in the Champions League (the top scorer in the UCL is Kylian Mbappé with 5 goals). There is no decisive passer for Bayer Leverkusen's 3 goals this season in Europe.

The last 5 matches of Bayer Leverkusen –

Only Bayer's possession is indicated and their shots are listed first (when data is available).

21/09/2025 (Bundesliga) – Leverkusen/Mönchengladbach: 1-1. In 3-4-2-1. 62% possession. 13 shots with 9 on target against 13 shots (7 on target)

27/09/2025 (Bundesliga) – Sankt Pauli/Leverkusen: 1-2. In 3-4-2-1 51% possession. 5 shots with 4 on target against 13 shots (6 on target).

01/10/2025 (Champions League) – Leverkusen/PSV Eindhoven: 1-1. In 3-4-2-1. 46% possession. 14 shots with 4 on target against 6 shots (1 on target).

04/10/2025 (Bundesliga) – Leverkusen/Union Berlin: 2-0. In 3-4-2-1. 74% possession. 20 shots with 3 on target against 10 shots (3 on target).

18/10/2025 (Bundesliga) – Mainz/Leverkusen: 3-4. In 3-4-2-1. 58% possession. 20 shots with 8 on target against 12 shots (4 on target).

The probable team in 3-4-2-1.

Kofane

Poku – Maza

Grimaldo – Fernandez – Garcia – Soares

Tapsabo – Badé – Andrich

Flekken

The playing style of Bayer Leverkusen.

Even though there are differences, Bayer Leverkusen has remained within the overall idea implemented over the past 3 years by Xabi Alonso. It's the same setup, with the intention to press high and maintain ball possession. This without forgetting to pose a threat and take chances.

An adaptation against PSG is always possible, but it would be a real surprise to see Hjulmand's team, accustomed to offensive play, retreat to their goal to focus mainly on defense. We therefore expect an intense match, with the Parisians needing to bring the right elements to not be overwhelmed by potentially very strong pressing. They will also have to deal with numerous absentees, between 7 and 9 depending on the uncertainties.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.