Looking to make a big impact in the Champions League after last season's record-breaking run, Bayer Leverkusen take on Feyenoord on Thursday night.
The German champions will face last season's Eredivisie runners-up in the opening group game, with the usual raucous atmosphere at De Kuip.
Latest Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen team information
Although Arne Slot has left De Kuip, and Dutch international defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who recently moved to Leipzig, has followed him, Feyenoord have retained star striker Santiago Gimenez, who is expected to start up front on Thursday.
Summer signings Jordan Lotomba and Hwang In-beom are likely to feature, but key midfielder Calvin Stengs has a knee injury and on-loan left-back Hugo Bueno has been sidelined since last month with a muscle injury.
Austria centre-back Gernot Trauner - who suffered a thigh injury at Euro 2024 - returned to the starting line-up on Saturday and is likely to feature on the bench.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, will travel to Rotterdam without any major injury concerns, and Xabi Alonso is expected to have a full squad to choose from, provided Exequiel Palacios passes a fitness test.
As a result, Victor Boniface - who scored a double in the Bundesliga at the weekend - and Patrick Schick will vie for the upfront spot, while Robert Andrich and Aleix Garcia compete to partner captain Granit Xhaka in midfield.
There's no doubt that Florian Wirtz will finally make his Champions League debut: in the last four Europa League seasons, the German striker has been involved in more goals (12 of his own; 12 assists) and created more chances (88) than any other player.
Latest Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen expected lineup
Feyenoord:
Wellenreuther; Lotomba, Beelen, Hancko, Smal; Timber, Zechiel; Nieuwkoop, Nadje, Paixao; Gimenez
Bayer Leverkusen:
Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface
Latest football commentary Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen
Named Dutch champions for a 16th time in 2023, Feyenoord were forced to settle for runners-up spot behind PSV Eindhoven last season, although their final points total was two points higher than when they won the title a year earlier.
The Rotterdam club won the KNVB Beker as a consolation, but championship-winning coach Arne Slot left for Liverpool and new coach Brian Priske was brought in from Sparta Prague.
The Dane has so far managed just one win in four domestic games, having started his reign with a penalty shootout victory over Ajax in the Johan Cruijff Shield. After missing out on victory at Groningen last week, his side are now nine points behind PSV.
Feyenoord are now in back-to-back Champions League campaigns for the first time since 2002, having only featured twice in the last 22. They will be aiming to reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time - despite having won the European Cup in 1970.
Last season, Slot's side finished third in Group E, then dropped into the Europa League and lost to Roma on penalties in the knockout stages. It was the third year in a row they have been eliminated from Europe by Roma, including losing in the Europa Conference League final for the first time.
With some tough fixtures in the new group stages of this season, Feyenoord will be happy to start their campaign at De Kuip, where they have lost just once in their last 18 European games, winning 14.
The only blemish in an otherwise perfect 2023-24 campaign saw Bayer Leverkusen lose to Atalanta BC in the Europa League final, falling just short of adding another European trophy to their 1988 UEFA Cup triumph.
That year, Die Werkself beat Feyenoord in the third round en route to glory, which remains the only meeting between the two clubs to date.
Last season, Leverkusen received widespread praise for their relentless performances and dramatic comebacks – both in the Bundesliga and in Europe – and although they were ultimately beaten by Atalanta, they won their first German title and then added the DFB-Pokal.
Xabi Alonso’s stylish side also topped their Europa League group with maximum points before overcoming three teams, including Roma, to reach the final. Defeat in Dublin was their only defeat in 53 games in all competitions, including 43 wins.
Only making their third Champions League appearance in eight seasons, Leverkusen's last campaign was two years ago, when they finished third in their group before dropping into the Europa League. They then reached the semi-finals before losing to Roma.
A 1-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico was the German side's only defeat in their last 11 European away games - including seven wins - so despite their recent defeat to Leipzig, Xabi Alonso and his men are confident they can get off to a fast start in midweek.
Ultimately, they are determined to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2017, and having shed their 'Never-Kusen' nickname, they can be confident of going all the way to the final in Munich. Both teams have plenty of recent experience at different levels of the UEFA competition, so they will be ready to put on an entertaining show on the opening day of the Champions League.
With Leverkusen having a talented tactician in the technical area and able to call on the strength of the bench, they will return with all three points, leaving Feyenoord empty-handed.
Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the match Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen :
- Sportsmole: Feyenoord 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
- WhoScore: Feyenoord 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
- Our prediction: Feyenoord 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
When and where to watch Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen live?
To watch live the match Feyenoord vs Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League taking place at 23:45 on September 19, viewers can watch on K+ Sport, K+PM or online sports channels. Wish you all have fun watching football.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-feyenoord-vs-bayer-leverkusen-chien-thang-bat-ngo-229601.html
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