Bundesliga duo Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen face off in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups in our preview ahead of the action.
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview
Reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen travel to Bavaria to take on current Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday evening.
Leverkusen secured direct qualification to the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase table, while Bayern were forced to settle for a spot in the knockout phase play-offs after missing out on the top eight by one point.
Drawn against Scottish Premiership winners Celtic, Vincent Kompany’s side led 2-1 after the first leg. In the second leg, they were seconds away from having to go to extra time, however Alphonso Davies popped up with the all-important goal in stoppage time to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory, thus securing their spot in the last 16.
Full focus on the Champions League blockbuster! 👊
Bayern vs. Leverkusen in the #UCL Round of 16 first leg on Wednesday.
Who’s ready for an electric European night? ⚔️🔥 #packmas #FCBayern #MiaSanMia #FCBB04 pic.twitter.com/GEOcVN6ZmQ
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) March 2, 2025
Heading into this one, both sides are in excellent form. The Bavarians are undefeated in nine across all competitions and have won each of their last two matches, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 and Stuttgart 3-1. Xabi Alonso’s side, meanwhile, are unbeaten in eight and thrashed Frankfurt 4-1 last time out, following on from a 2-0 win over Holstein Kiel.
Bayern and Leverkusen last met in competitive play less than three weeks ago, when they played out a goalless stalemate at the BayArena. Recent history between the pair undoubtedly favours Die Werkself, as they are now unbeaten in six straight matches against the 33-time German champions, in a run that spans all the way back to September 2022.
Bayern Munich Team News
According to reports, Kompany is hopeful that Joshua Kimmich will make his return to the squad after the German national team captain missed the win over Stuttgart due to a thigh injury.
Aleksandar Pavlovic and Sacha Boey are also doubts due to illness.
Bayer Leverkusen Team News
The visitors are without long-term absentees Jeanuel Belocian (knee) and Martin Terrier (Achilles), while defensive midfielder Robert Andrich is also expected to miss out after missing Monday’s training session through illness.
In more positive news, Burkina Faso international Edmond Tapsoba is expected to make his return to the squad.
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen Predicted Lineups
Bayern Munich Predicted Lineup:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Musiala, Coman; Kane
Bayer Leverkusen Predicted Lineup:
Kovar; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Tella; Schick
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites have identified Bayern as 3/4 favourites to prevail at the Allianz Arena in Wednesday’s first leg, while a draw is rated at 14/5 and a victory for Leverkusen is priced at 7/2.
As previously mentioned, Die Werkself have a strong record in this fixture over the last two years or so, but what they lack, in comparison to the Bavarians, is experience in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.
We at SportsCasting can’t see much that separated both sides heading into this one, therefore we’re predicting a score draw, leaving it all to play for in next week’s second leg in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
