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Leverkusen logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 1, 2022 at 5.45pm UK
BayArena
Club Brugge

B. Leverkusen
0 - 0
Brugge


Palacios (43'), Andrich (63')
FT

Sobol (37'), Boyata (82'), Nielsen (84')

Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Club Brugge - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Bayer Leverkusen must better Atletico Madrid's result against Porto on the final Champions League matchday on Tuesday if they are to remain in Europe this season.

They will be up against Group B leaders Club Brugge, who have already secured their progression to the knockout stages for the first time in the modern era, although they need to win to ensure finishing top of Group B.


Match preview

Kerem Demirbay in action for Bayer Leverkusen on October 12, 2022© Reuters

Leverkusen's hopes of advancing to the Champions League knockout stages were ended after a 2-2 draw away to Atletico last week, which saw both teams crash out of the competition in dramatic circumstances.

Xabi Alonso's side were twice pegged back by the hosts after Moussa Diaby and Callum Hudson-Odoi's first half efforts, but ultimately they had their goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky to thank for still having a chance of remaining in a European competition this season after he saved Yannick Carrasco's injury-time penalty.

The final whistle had already blown before referee Clement Turpin was instructed by VAR to judge a handball incident from an Atletico corner, leading to wild scenes as the hosts struck the bar and had a strike blocked on the line after Carrasco's effort from the spot, before the France official called time on the match for the second time.

As such, Leverkusen trail Diego Simeone's side by one point at the bottom of Group B, although their superior head-to-head record against them means that a draw against Brugge on Tuesday would be enough to leapfrog them into third spot should Porto beat the Spanish outfit.

With his side winless in their last five matches in all competitions after their 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig on Saturday left them in the bottom of three of the Bundesliga, Alonso may be praying for a favour from the Portuguese Primeira Liga champions in order to drop down into the Europa League rather than out of Europe altogether.

Simon Mignolet in action for Club Brugge on October 4, 2022© Reuters

Brugge, meanwhile, know all about losing to Porto having been thrashed 4-0 at home to Sergio Conceicao's side last week.

The Belgian First Division champions had already secured their progression to the last-16 after amassing a hugely impressive total of 10 points from their opening four matches, and they perhaps came up against a team with more motivation than them on the day as Porto ran riot to book their place in the knockout stages alongside their opponents.

However, had Noa Lang converted his penalty in the 51st minute after David Carmo's foul, matters could have been very different with the scoreline delicately poised at 1-0 to the visitors at that point of the proceedings.

Ultimately, despite the harsh scoreline, there was little damage done with Brugge's place in the next stage already secured, although they must win in Leverkusen if they are to be assured of top spot.

With Genk running away with things eight points clear of them in the Belgian First Division, the Champions League represents head coach Carl Hoefkens's best chance of securing a historic legacy from this season, although in some respects that has already been achieved through their remarkable performance in the competition so far.

Bayer Leverkusen Champions League form:


Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):


Club Brugge Champions League form:


Club Brugge form (all competitions):



Team News

Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso on October 12, 2022© Reuters

Leverkusen will be without Piero Hincapie due to suspension after the defender received his third booking in five matches in the Champions League against Atletico last week, with Alonso likely to be considering switching to a back four as a result.

Midfielders Kerem Demirbay, Charles Aranguiz, Florian Wirtz and Sardar Azmoun are all expected to remain sidelined through injury, with the former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder unlikely to take any unnecessary risks in this competition given his side's precarious league position.

Brugge, meanwhile, will travel without Denis Odoi, Raphael Onyedika and Abakar Sylla due to suspension after they each picked up their third cautions of this season's competition.

Clinton Mata, Mats Rits and Andreas Skov Olsen are all injury doubts, with Hoefkens potentially pondering mass changes given that his side are already through to the next stage of the competition.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tapsoba, Tah, Bakker; Andrich, Palacios, Amiri; Adli, Schick, Hlozek

Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Meijer, Mechele, Boyata, Sobol; Nielsen, Balanta, Vanaken; Sowah, Jutgla, Lang


SM words green background

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Club Brugge

There could be plenty of goals in Leverkusen on Tuesday, with neither side likely to be too motivated despite there still being loose ends to tie up in Group B.

Much will depend on the outcome of the other match in the group, but we can envisage a share of the spoils, which is only likely to suit one team on the night.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: B. Leverkusen vs Brugge

Bayer Leverkusen
40.1%
Draw
22.5%
Club Brugge
37.5%
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Tables header RHS

Group A

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1 Germany Germany00000
2 Hungary Hungary00000
3 Scotland flag Scotland00000
4 Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group B

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1 Albania national flag Albania00000
2 Croatia Croatia00000
3 Italy Italy00000
4 Spain Spain00000

Group C

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1 Denmark Denmark00000
2 England flag England00000
3 Serbia Serbia00000
4 Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group D

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1 Austria Austria00000
2 France France00000
3 Netherlands Netherlands00000
4 Poland Poland00000

Group E

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1 Belgium Belgium00000
2 Romania Romania00000
3 Slovakia Slovakia00000
4 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group F

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1 Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Portugal Portugal00000
4 Turkey Turkey00000


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