Barcelona will take on Bayer Leverkusen at BayArena in their final group game as the Bundesliga side are eyeing a place in the Champions League knockout stages.
Bayer Leverkusen have been playing below expectations in the 2015/2016 Champions League campaign. The Bundesliga outfit have registered no more than one triumph to date and, as a result, they have slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Roger Schmidtâs troops are level on points with second-placed Roma in Group E, but they occupy third position in the standings due to worse head-to-head record. Anyhow, Bayer Leverkusen should mind their own business in their final group game and they are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in Tuesdayâs clash against Barcelona.
The Bundesliga side have not been in a good form of late, with the team recording one win in previous seven matches in all competitions. It has to be noted that they have netted eight goals at BayArena in the 2015/2016 Champions League campaign.
Barcelona cemented top position in Group E, thanks to a 6-1 win over Roma. They head into the game following a 1-1 draw Valencia and will be looking to return to winning ways. The defending champions have been producing outstanding performances in the 2015/2016 Champions League campaign. It has to be noted that they have netted 14 goals in the elite competition so far.
Barca face Deportivo La Coruna at their Camp Nou on Saturday, meaning that coach Luis Enrique is unlikely to mix the squad against Bayer Leverkusen.
Head to Head
History is not on Leverkusenâs side ahead of the match as the last six Champions League clashes between the two teams have all been won by Barca, including a 7-1 thrashing in the 2011-12 round of 16 which featured five goals from Lionel Messi.
Bayer Leverkusen were ten minutes away from a shock victory in the Nou Camp in the reverse fixture between the two sides, until late goals from Sergi Roberto and Luis Saurez snatched a 2-1 win for the Spanish champions.
Match Facts
- Bayer Leverkusen have won 3 drawn 3 and lost 4 of their last 10 matches
- Barcelona have won 8, drawn 2 and lost 0 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Bayer Leverkusen have scored an average of 2.4 goals and conceded an average of 1.9 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Barcelona have scored an average of 3.2 goals and conceded an average of 0.4 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of Bayer Leverkusenâs previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 7 of Barcelonaâs previous 10 matches
Team News
Bayer Leverkusenâs coach Roger Schmidt canât count on the likes of Lars Bender, Ryu and Jedvaj, while Roberto Hilbert (knee) returned to the pitch for the first time in two months against Hertha.
Given that top spot is already secure for Barca, Luis Enrique has the flexibility to make changes to his line-up for the game. Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta have been rested, while Dani Alves (suspended), Jeremy Mathieu (thigh) and Sergi Roberto (ankle) are all out.
Predicted line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1): Leno; Donati, Tah, Toprak, Boenisch; Kramer, Kempl; Bellarabi, Mehmedi, Calhanoglu; Hernadez
Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Adriano, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar
