Bayer Leverkusen will look to book their place in the the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when they host Olympiacos at BayArena on Tuesday.
Bayer Leverkusen are up against Olympiacos in the playoff stages, and they managed to pick up a 2-0 away from home vs the Greek outfit in the first leg. Die Werkself are in complete control of the tie, and they will look to get the job done at home.
The German giants were able to pick up a comprehensive victory away from home, and they will be the favourites to win here as well. Meanwhile, the Greek outfit will look to turn the deficit around, but this will be a difficult outing for them.
Olympiacos were outplayed at home, and this will be a tougher challenge for them. It remains to be seen whether they can put up a strong fight and give the fans something to cheer about. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
The home team will be without Eliesse Ben Seghir and Nathan Tella on Tuesday. Bayer Leverkusen will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Olympiacos, with Janis Blaswich in goal.
In the back three, Jarell Quansah will start alongside Loic Bade and Edmond Tapsoba. As for the midfield unit, Lucas Vazquez and Alejandro Grimaldo will start as the wing-backs. They will help out defensively and look to hit Olympiacos on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Aleix Garcia and Exequiel Palacios will start in the middle of the park. They will add control and composure to the side. Malik Tillman and Ibrahim Maza will start as the attacking midfielders.
They will look to create opportunities in the final third with their vision and technical ability. Finally, Patrik Schick will spearhead the Bayer Leverkusen attack vs Olympiacos at BayArena on Tuesday night.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Blaswich; Quansah, Bade, Tapsoba; Vazquez, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Maza, Tillman; Schick
Olympiacos
The away team has no major injury problems heading into the crucial UEFA Champions League clash this week. Olympiacos are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Bayer Leverkusen, with Konstantinos Tzolakis in goal.
Costinha and Francisco Ortega will start as the full-backs, looking to keep things tight defensively and hit the opposition on the break. Panagiotis Retsos and Giulian Biancone will start as the central defenders.
As for the midfield unit, Santiago Hezze will line up alongside Christos Mouzakitis in the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will look to win the ball back for their team and set up counter-attacking opportunities.
Rodinei and Gelson Martins will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Mehdi Taremi will add creativity and goals from the number ten role, and Ayoub El Kaabi will lead the line for Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Biancone, Ortega; Hezze, Mouzakitis; Rodinei, Taremi, Martins; El Kaabi
Key Stats
- Both teams have picked up two wins each from the last four meetings between themselves. 14 goals have been scored in the last four matches between these two teams.
- Bayer Leverkusen have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Olympiacos have won two of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Bayer Leverkusen have progressed from 20 of their 22 previous knockout stage ties in major European competition after winning the first of two legs, with their only eliminations coming against Atletico Madrid in 2014/15 (UEFA Champions League last 16) and Udinese in 1999-00 (UEFA Cup last 32).
- Only Vitinha (146) has made more line-breaking passes than Aleix Garcia (142) in the UEFA Champions League this season. 76 of those have been passes breaking the opposition’s attacking line; the outright most by any player.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
The Bayer Leverkusen striker was outstanding in the first leg of the tie, and he will look to make his mark in the second leg as well. The Olympiacos defence struggled to deal with Schick in the first leg, and he could cause all sorts of problems here with his link-up play and goal-scoring ability.
Schick has scored four goals in seven UEFA Champions League appearances under Kasper Hjulmand, averaging a goal every 107 minutes played. His record in the competition under all managers other than Hjulmand stands at one goal in 27 appearances, with a minutes per goal ratio of 1,552.
The Czech striker is our key player to watch out for, and the home team will depend on him to make a defining impact in the final third. He will need to step up and deliver if they want to pick up another comprehensive victory here.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Olympiacos
The home team should be able to get the job done here, and the fans will expect a comprehensive win. The Greek outfit will look to put up a fight here, but they are likely to come up short away from home.
Olympiacos were unable to break down Bayer Leverkusen in their own backyard, and this will be a difficult challenge. They are likely to crash into yet another defeat. A comfortable home win for the German club is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Kasper Hjulmand and his charges.
