A thrilling contest is expected as Bayer Leverkusen host AC Milan in a Champions League fixture on Tuesday. Both teams have shown plenty of attacking quality this season and with neither defence particularly convincing, goals could be expected here.
Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a smooth ride in their opening fixture as they eased to a 4-0 victory at Feyenoord. Florian Wirtz netted a brace while Alex Grimaldo was also on target.
It has been an overall solid start to Bayer Leverkusen, who have lost just once across all competitions. However, Xabi Alonso’s men have been unconvincing at the back, keeping just one clean sheet in their last five matches.
AC Milan were not so lucky in their opening Champions League fixture as they fell 3-1 at home to Liverpool. They struck first through Christian Pulisic but were let down by some poor defending and went on to concede three times.
After a slow start to the season, things appear to be turning around for AC Milan, with manager Paulo Fonseca easing some of the pressure. The Rossoneri have won three of their last four matches and travel to BayArena off the back of a 3-0 victory over Lecce in a Serie A fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Leverkusen highly fancied
Bayer Leverkusen have been installed as overwhelming favourites and are priced at 7/10 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for AC Milan is valued at 7/2 by Betfred, who is also offering 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head: No previous meetings
This will be the first ever meeting between Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.
Players to watch: Eyes on Wirtz
Wirtz appears to have picked up where he left off last season and already has six goals across all competitions so far. Having netted a brace in the opening fixture, the forward could be backed to get on the score sheet once again at 21/20 with Betfred.
Christian Pulisic has been the standout player for AC Milan so far this season and will be the one to watch on Tuesday. The American forward has found the net in each of his last four matches and is priced at 4/1 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Probable line-ups
Victor Boniface is expected to lead the line for Bayer Leverkusen, with Wirtz and Martin Terrier providing support. Granit Xhaka is set to continue in midfield while Jonathan Tah should start in defence.
AC Milan have a few injury worries with Noah Okafor joining Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi and Davide Calabria on the sidelines. The Rossoneri ate likely to stick with the Tammy Abraham/Alvaro Morata attacking partnership while Fikayo Tomori should continue at the back.
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky, Tapsoba, Tam, Hincapie, Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo, Wirtz, Terrier, Boniface
AC Milan: Maignan, Royal, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez, Pulisic, Fofana, Reijnders, Leao, Abraham, Morata
Anything else catch the eye?
Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan know their way to goal and with neither team convincing at the back, Tuesday’s clash is likely to produce goals. Over 4.5 goals is priced at 3/1 by Betfred, who is also offering 5/4 for over 3.5 goals.
Both teams have a knack for late strikes so the second half could be tipped to produce more goals at evens with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan will be played on Oct 1, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
