Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter Milan: UCL Previews, odds and Predictions

Get ready for an exciting UEFA Champions League match between Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan. Check out previews, odds, and predictions to stay informed and make your picks for this thrilling game.

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Daniel A.
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Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter Milan

Tuesday night’s Champions League match between Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan will pit the reigning champions of Germany and Italy against one another. The game will be broadcast live worldwide.

Inter remains in first place in the league with three points, one point ahead of Leverkusen. Both clubs are guaranteed a spot in the round of 16.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After winning their first Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal as icing on the cake, Leverkusen wants to take their success to the next level by making it to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2016 and challenging for the team.

After five rounds, Xabi Alonso’s team has accumulated 10 points and is in sixth place in the league. In their most recent match, they defeated Red Bull Salzburg 5-0 at home, with star player Florian Wirtz scoring twice before halftime to help them recover from a 4-0 setback in Liverpool.

In their previous 25 European matches, Die Werkself has won 16 and lost just once; this impressive streak led them to the Europa League final last season.

With a 21–21 advantage in goals scored, Leverkusen has won seven of their past eight UEFA home games since the beginning of last season.

With an early goal from Wirtz, the defending German champions defeated Bundesliga strugglers St. Pauli 2-1 at home on Saturday. This extended their winning streak to five games in a row in all competitions. The BayArena has never lost a continental match.

In a match that saw Bayern Munich’s hosts sent off after 17 minutes, Alonso’s team advanced to the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal with a 1-0 victory.

They have let in 20 goals in their first 13 league matches, which is only four less than their whole 2023-24 season, yet they are still in striking distance of Bayern and third in the Bundesliga.

That will worry their demanding boss, who has guided Leverkusen to a single home Champions League victory this season against Italian opponents (AC Milan on matchday two). Now, they face off against the Rossoneri’s local rivals.

The hosts on Tuesday are a team that Inter have beaten all three times in the previous four encounters. These two teams last met in the 2002–03 Champions League. After sweeping Leverkusen in the group stage, the Milan giants advanced to the semifinals of that season.

The current Scudetto winners are in excellent form and could contend for success next summer. Seven years later, they were crowned European champions for the third time and came close to adding a fourth title to an already impressive collection in 2023, losing out to Manchester City.

The Nerazzurri have gone four games undefeated in the league phase, and their 13 points put them in second position after last month’s win against RB Leipzig, another German team.

If Inter can hold Leverkusen scoreless for 90 minutes, they would become the first side in league history to do so. Inter began the season with a scoreless draw away at City. They are now in a strong position to finish in the top eight.

After winning Serie A for the 20th time last year, Simone Inzaghi’s squad has struggled mightily this season. They have dropped just one of their 19 matches (a crushing defeat to Milan in September) and are finding themselves swept up in an exciting battle for first place.

Inter’s powerful assault will test Leverkusen’s defense. The Italian side has scored three or more goals in half of its fourteen league matches so far (thanks to Friday’s 3-1 win over Parma at San Siro).

Bayer Leverkusen x Inter Milan Team News

Bayer Leverkusen’s Basque leader can mimic Xabi Alonso’s strategy of using Florian Wirtz as a false nine in their previous losses against two attackers on Tuesday night.

Since returning from international service, Victor Boniface has been out with a thigh injury. Patrik Schick had been on fire recently, scoring six goals in four matches (including a hat trick against Heidenheim) until injuring his calf. In addition, Amine Adli and Jonas Hofmann still need to get more playing time.

However, with Granit Xhaka in the middle and Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong out wide, Wirtz should be able to find the back of the net quickly. He has scored the first goal in three separate Champions League games this season, which is tied for the most of any player. Pulisic of Milan is the other player in this category.

Inter currently has only two players out with injuries: Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi; however, Acerbi has returned to partial training and may be available for selection again.

With the return of Carlos Augusto and Davide Frattesi over the weekend, Simone Inzaghi, who was just crowned Serie A’s “Coach of the Year,” is down to two definite absentees: Pavard and backup goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro. As a result, a change may be on the horizon.

The Nerazzurri will again be led in the middle of the field by set-piece specialist Hakan Calhanoglu. Calhanoglu was a star for Leverkusen from 2014 to 2017, making 115 appearances and scoring 28 goals at the BayArena.

Former Borussia Monchengladbach regular and current Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer has the best record of any goalie with ten or more appearances in the Champions League, having maintained a clean sheet in 75% of his games since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Our Predictions

Full time draw @ 3.55 on Sky247.ng

Leverkusen may be able to break through Inter’s impenetrable defense, but they may not have a fighting chance against the Italians since they do not have a traditional striker.

The Nerazzurri are experts at absorbing pressure and are composed and self-assured enough to launch a devastating counterattack.

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Bayer Leverkusen Inter Milan