Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

After setting new records last season, Bayer Leverkusen will face Feyenoord on Thursday night in a Champions League match.

In the first league phase match, the German champions will face off against the Eredivisie runners-up from last season. Fans can anticipate the usual exciting atmosphere at De Kuip.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Feyenoord, who will become the 16th Dutch champions in 2023, finished second last season, two points behind PSV Eindhoven, despite having a better total than when they were winners a year ago.

The Rotterdam team managed to snag the KNVB Beker as a consolation prize. Still, its champion manager, Arne Slot, departed for Liverpool, and Sparta Prague's Brian Priske was appointed as the new manager.

The Danish coach started his reign with a penalty shootout triumph against Ajax in the Johan Cruijff Shield, but his team has only managed one win in four league games so far. Last week, they let a victory slip away at Groningen, and they are now nine points behind PSV.

Although they won the European Cup in 1970, Feyenoord will be attempting to make it to the tournament's knockout stage for the first time, and they are making their Champions League debut after a 22-year absence.

After finishing in third place in Group E last season, Slot's squad was demoted to the Europa League, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout loss to Roma, an old rival. Including their loss in the first-ever Europa Conference League final, it was their third consecutive year of elimination at the hands of the Giallorossi.

Given the new league phase and this season's tight ties, Feyenoord will be happy to start their next campaign at De Kuip, where they have won 14 of their past 18 European matches and lost just once.

On August 17, 2024, Granit Xhaka of Bayer Leverkusen celebrates after his team's Super Cup victory against Stuttgart.

While the rest of the 2023–24 season was spotless, Bayer Leverkusen's attempt to add to their 1988 UEFA Cup victory came up short in the Europa League final when they lost to Atalanta BC.

That was the year Die Werkself won it all, with a third-round victory against Feyenoord being the sole competitive encounter between the two teams.

Despite losing to Atalanta in the end, Leverkusen earned praise for their tenacity and heroics in the last moments of games last season. They won their first German championship and went on to win the DFB-Pokal.

Also, Xabi Alonso's fashionable squad went undefeated in their Europa League group before advancing to the finals, where they faced Roma and two other clubs. Of 53 games played in all competitions, 43 resulted in triumph. Their lone setback occurred in Dublin.

Leverkusen last competed in the Champions League two years ago, finishing third in their group and earning a spot in the Europa League. It was their third appearance in the competition in eight seasons. They advanced to the semi-finals when they were defeated by no other than Roma.

Despite their recent loss to Leipzig, Xabi Alonso and the company will be hopeful of getting off to a quick start in midweek even though the German side's 1-0 loss at Stadio Olimpico is their only loss in their past eleven European road matches, a run that also includes seven victories.

They have finally shed the label of "Never-kusen" and are hell-bent on returning to the Champions League's quarterfinals, where they lasted in 2017. They may even have faith in their chances of advancing to the final, which will be staged in Munich.

Feyenoord x Bayer Leverkusen Team News

Despite Lutsharel Geertruida's departure from De Kuip for Leipzig, Feyenoord have kept their star striker Santiago Gimenez, who is expected to start in goal on Thursday, despite the departure of Arne Slot and other defenders from De Kuip.

Both Hwang In-beam and summer signing Jordan Lotomba are in with a chance of starting, but key midfielder Calvin Stengs is out with a knee injury and left defender Hugo Bueno, who is on loan, hasn't played since last month with a muscle issue.

Center defender Gernot Trauner of Austria is expected to start on Saturday after returning to first-team play after a thigh injury he sustained at Euro 2024.

As for Leverkusen, they should be healthy to go into Rotterdam, and Xabi Alonso should have his pick of the litter if Exequiel Palacios passes the fitness test.

That leaves Patrick Schick and Victor Boniface vying for the starting forward spot, with Robert Andrich and Aleix Garcia vying for the midfield spot alongside captain Granit Xhaka. Boniface scored twice in the Bundesliga last weekend.

The German attacker Florian Wirtz will undoubtedly make his Champions League debut. In the last four Europa League seasons, he has scored 12 goals, assisted on 12 more, and generated 88 more opportunities than any other player.

Our Predictions

Over 3.5 goals @ 2.20 on Sky247.ng

Both sides will be prepared to put on a captivating show on the first day of the Champions League thanks to their extensive experience competing at different levels of UEFA's structure.

Because Leverkusen has a tactical genius at the helm and a much deeper bench, they will win easily and send Feyenoord home empty-handed.