Tuesday 21st February 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid Football – Europe – Champions League Both Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid have had very disappointing domestic campaigns and are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season through their league placing. Neither are amongst the outright favourites to win this year’s competition but it obviously presents an opportunity for them to qualify should they win it. This is a repeat of 2015 when the two met at the same stage. Penalties were required to separate them on that occasion – could we be in for a similarly close encounter this time?
Leverkusen have struggled for form in the Bundesliga this term and are currently in eighth spot, seven points behind fourth spot and that all important Champions League qualification place. Bayer did secure a confidence boosting win on Friday as they defeated Augsburg 3-1 away from home, making it the first time they have won consecutive games in the league since the beginning of November. Their route to this stage in Europe has been slightly more straightforward as they remained undefeated in their six games, winning two of them. They also kept three clean sheets in the group stage, and although they are not a defensive or negative team by any stretch of the imagination, they are very well organized and can stifle teams high up the park with their press, and the energy they have in attack supports this.
Atletico Madrid have reached the final of this competition in two of the last three seasons but were ultimately undone by rivals Real on both occasions. Substantial investment in the playing squad over the summer increased expectation that they could challenge on both fronts – just as they did in 2014when winning La Liga – but they have never really looked like troubling the top two and Sevilla this time around, and will have to pick up their form between now and the end of the campaign to ensure they finish in the top four. Like Leverkusen, they had a confidence boosting win against Sporting – a game that seen £28m summer signing Kevin Gamiero score a hat-trick in what has been an extremely frustrating season to date. To their credit however, Atleti appear to remain extremely effective in the Champions League itself, topping a group that contained Bayern Munich. In typical fashion, all but one of their five wins were by one goal (the exception being the 2-0 win at home to PSV) indicating how well versed this team are at winning close games.
Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid Betting Tips
Whether you look at both games the last time these two met or go by their performances and results in the group stages of this year’s competition, it suggests that the last 16 game will be a tight affair. Both Roger Schmidt and Diego Simeone are masters of their craft and this will be a battle tactically as much as it is between the players themselves. The two coaches have similar ideas on how the game should be played and that could lead to something of a stalemate.
Out of the 12 games the teams played in the group stage only one of those resulted in either team scoring more than two goals whilst they kept six clean sheets between then. Leverkusen drew four of their games, including two at home against Tottenham and CSKA Moscow. Atletico Madrid will have a similar approach to this tie as they have done in previous seasons and that’s by keeping it tight at the back – getting an away goal is a bonus (they have not scored away from home at this stage since 2014. Leverkusen will attempt to keep a clean sheet because they will struggle to score more than once away from home in the return leg. For me, everything points to a low-scoring game and I suggest backing the draw – it may also be worth a smaller bet on 0-0.
Draw 11/5 @ Marathonbet
