Despite its current ninth place in the league, Bayer Leverkusen remains a big chunk even though the club has had a complicated first half of the season. Placed in the same Champions League group as Bruges, the Germans finished third in extremis ahead of Atletico Madrid, allowing them to spend the winter warm. In the Europa League play-offs, Bayer eliminated Monaco on penalties. In the round of 16, Leverkusen experienced less difficulty by dismissing the Hungarians of Ferencvaros (2-0 then 0-2).
A star on the bench
The change of coach made last October has certainly given a second wind to this team. Especially since the new T1 is not just anyone since it is Xabi Alonso who is having his first real experience as a head coach. The former defensive midfielder spent with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich won the Champions League, the Euros and the World Cup as a player. At the end of his career, he coached the young people of Real before taking charge of the B team of Real Sociedad. Arriving in Germany to put Bayer back on track, the Spaniard has a record of 12 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses in 23 games. “We keep the game against Manchester or Juventus for the final, smiled Philippe Bormans, the club’s CEO, after the draw. The team can dream of something but we remain the underdogs. You have to transcend yourself and keep your feet on the ground.”
The same stadium for Anderlecht and the Union in the quarter-finals: the RSCA will start at home on April 13 in the Conference League
On the pitch, one name caught the attention of the German side: Florian Wirtz. His cruciate ligament rupture in March 2022 coincided with the start of Bayer Leverkusen’s worst run. Remained on the sidelines throughout the first part of the season, the 19-year-old returned at the start of 2023 with since then a record of 2 goals and 6 assists in 12 games. Seen as one of the great nuggets of German football, Wirtz has already participated in four meetings with the Mannschaft, offering himself two assists in the process. The attacking midfielder, who can also play as a right winger, has the biggest market value of Leverkusen’s core, which also includes Diaby (ex-PSG) and Hudson-Odoi (on loan from Chelsea), with an estimated value of 70 millions of euros.
A world star like T1, a nugget at 70 million euros: What you need to know about Bayer Leverkusen, the opponent of the Union
