Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen: UCL Match Preview and Predictions

The first leg of their all-German last 16 Champions League matchup takes place on Wednesday, and it will be the first time Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen will meet in the European arena.

The two teams have faced three times this season, with Die Werkself going undefeated and eliminating Bayern from the DFB-Pokal in their last encounter at the Allianz Arena.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Bayern, led by Vincent Kompany, are now eight points ahead of Bayer in second place in the Bundesliga after Friday's thrilling 3-1 victory against Stuttgart.

Bayern's undefeated record now extends to nine matches in all competitions, including the nail-biting draw they rescued at home to Celtic in the second leg of the playoff round.

Bayern advanced on aggregate after a first-leg victory in Glasgow, but they will be well aware that they need to step up their game to maintain their impressive record of reaching the round of 16. Alphonso Davies scored a sloppy equalizer in the dying seconds to seal the deal.

In their last eleven home matches in the round of 16, Bayern have only suffered one defeat while amassing 41 goals. Among these goals were seven against Red Bull Salzburg and Shakhtar Donetsk, five against Arsenal and Besiktas, and so on.

However, Leverkusen should be a far more challenging test. With Kompany's earlier Pokal loss to Xabi Alonso's men, the Champions League is his only hope for cup triumph this season.

Bayern will always fondly remember their most recent encounter with a fellow German team in a European match. The 2013 final at Wembley Stadium was when Arjen Robben scored the game-winning goal in extra time against Borussia Dortmund.

When it comes to European clubs, Leverkusen has a solid track record. In 1988, they eliminated Werder Bremen, and in 2008, they eliminated Hamburg from the UEFA Cup.

With last month's scoreless draw at the BayArena—in which Bayer limited the Bavarians to just two shots—extending that streak to six games—Manager Alonso should feel confident leading Leverkusen to a third straight victory.

Despite being undefeated on the road in the Bundesliga for 29 games, Leverkusen has dropped its past two matches in this tournament: a loss against Liverpool and the notorious match against Atletico Madrid. Its European road record has been less than stellar.

Alonso's squad is now undefeated in eight games, but they blew an opportunity to go closer to Bayern in the domestic standings in last month's scoreless draw; as a result, they will likely devote all of their energy to the Champions League and the Pokal in the future.

Knowing they won't have to play Real Madrid, Liverpool, or the resurgent Paris Saint-Germain until the final should give them more optimism. However, they still have a difficult draw with Bayern, Inter Milan, and Barcelona as their first opponents.

Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen Team News

After returning to light training over the weekend, Bayern hopes Joshua Kimmich will be ready to play in this match and commit to a new long-term deal since there have been rumors of one in Germany recently.

Despite the absence of Eric Dier and Aleksandar Pavlovic from Sunday's squad training due to minor illnesses, Jamal Musiala, Joao Palhinha, and Davies—the hero versus Celtic—should be fit to play their roles.

With 20 goals and five assists in the Champions League since the beginning of last season, Harry Kane is unmatched by any player. He is also in peak physical condition.

But in his debut UCL campaign, Florian Wirtz challenges the England captain. With six goals and an assist in the league phase, Wirtz is just two goals short of Michael Ballack's club record of nine-goal involvements in one European season, which was set in 2001-02.

While banned defender Piero Hincapie will be back in action this week, visiting teammate Jeanuel Belocian will be out for an extended period.

Alonso started a solid XI last weekend, taking no risks considering the impending encounter, even if Martin Terrier is the only other injury worry. He has a significant portion of his squad accessible to him.

Our predictions

Bayern Munich to win @ 1.80 on Sky247.ng

Losses in last season's Europa League final, league matches against Liverpool and Atletico, and Bayern's typically unbeatable home record in the Champions League means that Alonso's Leverkusen still has a ways to go before they can be considered ready for the big stage.

Despite Kompany's men's erratic continental form—six games without a win against Die Werkself—they will still be considered favorites and should carry a slight advantage into next week's return leg.

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