Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen
UEFA Champions League, KO: 20:00 Oct 26, 2022, Estadio Civitas Metropolitano
Atletico Madrid are looking to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League as they host Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate Group B fixture.
Atletico have not been at their best in this season’s Champions League with just one win from their four matches so far. However, they are still in the mix to progress to the round of 16 and with a potential showdown against FC Porto on matchday six, will be keen to keep their chances alive.
Diego Simeone’s men played out a 0-0 draw with club Brugge last time out in the Champions League but have shown plenty of improvement in recent weeks. They are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, claiming three wins in that run, including a 2-1 victory at Betis last Saturday.
Atletico Madrid are also unbeaten in five of their last six home matches across all competitions. However, they appear to have lost their defensive solidity having kept just one clean sheet in that run.
While Atletico Madrid are showing signs of resurgence, things appear to be getting worse for Bayer Leverkusen. They are rooted to the bottom of the group and have claimed just one win from their last seven matches across all competitions.
Even a managerial change has not helped, with Xabi Alonso struggling to turn the club's fortunes around. They suffered a 3-0 home defeat to FC Porto in their previous Champions League fixture and were held to a 2-2 home draw by Wolfsburg in a Bundesliga fixture last Saturday.
Defending has been a major problem for Bayer Leverkusen with 10 goals conceded in their last three matches. They have also struggled on their travels and are winless in their last five away matches, suffering four defeats in that run.
How the bookies view it
Atletico Madrid are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/5 by Unibet. A victory for Bayer Leverkusen is valued at 37/10 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by bet365.
Head to head
Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have three wins apiece and as many draws from nine previous meetings. Leverkusen’s only win in this year’s Champions League was a 2-0 victory over Atletico in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
Antoine Griezmann has impressed since making the switch to Atletico Madrid permanent, with three goals in his last three matches. He will be the one to watch on Wednesday and is priced at 21/10 by bet365 to find the net.
Moussa Diaby has two goals in his last four matches and could be worth keeping an eye on for Bayer Leverkusen. Bet365 has the attacker at 9/2 to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have shown little defensive solidity in recent weeks and both teams could be backed to score at 9/11 by SBK. There have been over 3.5 goals in Leverkusen’s last three matches and a repeat is priced at 23/10 by BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at 6/7 with 10bet.
Both teams have produced a few late goals in recent matches and, so the second half can be tipped at the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on Oct 26, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
