Champions League football returns with fireworks, as Bayer Leverkusen host PSG with hopes of finding their first win in the competition, while the Parisians aim for the top after winning both matches to date.
Bayer Leverkusen’s defensive instabilities caused two draws in the first rounds of the Champions League, making them the least successful German side in the competition so far. Die Werkself are undefeated under Kasper Hjulmand on all stages and they’ve mostly been in control throughout each game, but have had problems with maintaining their goal leads.
Saturday’s performance away at Mainz was impressive, but once again highlighted the holes in defence, as Leverkusen conceded three goals. Now comes the biggest challenge of the season, as the Germans host the current CL champions, who’re experiencing some injury problems.
PSG enter this contest after B2B draws in Ligue 1, but their last outing in Europe saw them beat Barcelona away (2-1). Luis Enrique achieved this famous result even without key players like Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, so PSG have the depth to beat the best even with absences.
How the bookies view it: PSG to hand Leverkusen their first defeat
Despite the inconsistent performances on the domestic stage, bookmakers give PSG a significant betting advantage in this match. You can currently back Bayer Leverkusen at 17/4, while PSG are available at 13/20.
Recent head-to-head: The Parisians won all H2Hs
Bayer Leverkusen and PSG have clashed in the Champions League twice, when they met in the 1/8 finals in 2013/14, and the Parisians won both legs with 6-1 on aggregate. However, Die Werkself have mostly found success against French opposition since then, winning four and losing only one of their last seven matches.
Players to watch: Kofane to score his inaugural CL goal
Christian Michel Kofane has truly stepped up in Patrik Schick’s absence, scoring in each of Leverkusen’s last three fixtures. The 19-year-old arrived in Leverkusen at the start of the season, scored on his debut, but then didn’t receive much playtime over the next couple of months.
He was coming on as a late sub after the 80th minute every week until Schick picked up an injury, which promoted him to the starting line-up. Kofane has never faced a team quite like PSG, but Leverkusen have shown a lot of promise in attack in recent games, so we like the idea of backing Kofane again.
Probable line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken, Tapsoba, Bade, Quansah, Grimaldo, Poku, Tillman, Fernandez, Garcia, Hofmann, Kofane
PSG: Chevalier, Mendes, Pacho, Zabarnyi, Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery, Barcola, Mayulu, Mbaye
Anything else catch the eye?
While Bayer Leverkusen have improved under Hjulmand, their defence remains the weak link. They conceded at least one goal in eight of 10 matches this season in all competitions, including twice against Copenhagen and once against PSV in the Champions League.
PSG have not been flawless in Ligue 1, but are a completely different animal in the CL, beating Barcelona and Atalanta. The champions should be able to hand Bayer their first defeat under Hjulmand and challenge Bayern Munich for the top position in the competition.
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