Bundesliga champions past and present collide in the UEFA Champions League when Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich face

Florian Wirtz (l.) and Harry Kane (r.) – star men for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich respectively.
Florian Wirtz (l.) and Harry Kane (r.) – star men for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich respectively. – © IMAGO / ActionPictures
bundesliga
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen: UEFA Champions League probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!
27.02.2025
Bundesliga champions past and present collide in the UEFA Champions League when Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich face Florian Wirtz’s Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday’s last-16 first leg at the Allianz Arena (kick-off: 9pm CET).

Five reasons Bayern will beat Leverkusen
Five reasons Leverkusen will beat Bayern
How do the two sides stack up?
Bayern head Leverkusen in two-way title race
Analysing Alonso’s unbeaten run vs. Bayern
Alonso’s tactical smarts ready for Bayern rerun
Jamal Musial and Florian Wirtz compared
All Bayern’s Bundesliga goals this season
All Leverkusen’s Bundesliga goals this season
What’s the difference between ‘Bayern’ and ‘Bayer’?
A history of all-German Champions League ties
German clubs in Europe: fixtures and results
Latest

Bayern saw off Scottish champions Celtic in the knockout play-offs thanks to a late Alphonso Davies equaliser at home to avoid the need for extra-time. That came after the Bavarians narrowly missed out on the top eight in the league phase, finishing a point short in 12th. They’ve made very few mistakes on the Bundesliga front, though, where they hold an eight-point lead at the summit over Leverkusen in their quest to regain the Meisterschale from the Werkself. Vincent Kompany’s men took a step closer last Friday with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory at VfB Stuttgart that made it nine wins in their last 10 league fixtures. They had to do so without Joshua Kimmich for the first time this season as the Germany captain sat out the game with tendonitis. It will be a race against time for him to be fit for this first leg. And with Aleksandar Pavlović ill as well, it meant João Palhinha and Leon Goretzka started together for the first time at the weekend. The latter got a goal in Stuttgart after Michael Olise continued his good form with the equaliser. Harry Kane is currently on a four-game drought since scoring at Celtic in the play-off first leg. Jamal Musiala netted his 16th competitive goal of the campaign in the recent 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, which equals his personal best for a season.

Leverkusen were in Frankfurt at the weekend, winning 4-1 against the Eagles to extend their record of having not lost away to German opposition in any competition since May 2023. While their grip on the Meisterschale, which they won without defeat last season, is slipping, the defending champions can take great solace in the fact that they have been a real thorn in Bayern’s side. As well as two draws in the league, with the goalless encounter at the BayArena last month proving a tactical masterclass by Xabi Alonso as they completely dulled the Bavarians’ attack, the Werkself have also eliminated Bayern from the DFB Cup this season, winning 1-0 in Munich last December. Nathan Tella scored the decisive goal off the bench that day as Alonso once again went without a recognised striker from the start in this fixture. He still has two in-form options in Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick, who will both hope to feed off the mercurial Florian Wirtz pulling the strings around them. Leverkusen advanced straight to the Champions League last 16 by finishing sixth in the league phase. The current Bundesliga and DFB Cup holders will look to take a positive result back to the BayArena next week in their first all-German Champions League encounter.

Watch: Bayern and Leverkusen set for Champions League reunion

Kane has scored seven goals in nine Champions League appearances so far this season.
Bayern won the last all-German Champions League fixture, beating Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 2012/13 final.
The six-time European champions haven’t lost at home in the competition in 21 games, dating back to a quater-final first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21.
Alonso is unbeaten in six meetings with Bayern as Leverkusen head coach (W3, D3).
As a player, the Leverkusen boss won Champions League titles with Liverpool and Real Madrid before spending three seasons at Bayern.
Wirtz is Leverkusen’s biggest goal threat in this season’s Champions League with six goals and one assist.
Probable teams

Bayern: Neuer (c) – Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies – Goretzka, Palhinha – Olise, Musiala, Sané – Kane
Out: Peretz (kidney)
Doubtful: Boey (ill), Kimmich (thigh), Pavlović (ill)
Coach: Vincent Kompany

Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo – Adli, Wirtz – Boniface
Out: Belocian (knee), Terrier (Achilles)
Doubtful: Tella (hip)
Coach: Xabi Alonso

The story so far: Bayern Munich
Bayern ended the league stage in 12th – despite also taking five wins. That saw them face a knockout round play-off against Celtic, which the Bundesliga league leaders narrowly decided in their favour (3-2 on aggregate) thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Alphonso Davies in the return leg in Munich.
© Alex Grimm

The story so far: Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso’s side have looked right at home on their return to the UEFA Champions League – winning five of their eight league stage matches to finish that phase in sixth out of 36 participating teams. That earned the Bundesliga champions a direct spot in the last 16.
© IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON
Double deutsch
The tie will be the sixth meeting between two Bundesliga clubs in the UEFA Champions League – and all of these have included Bayern. The last all-German meeting in continental football was Schalke vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2016/17 Europa League last 16.

2:03
Watch: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen kept the gap to Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga to eight points as they warmed up for the all-German encounter with an impressive win at third-placed Frankfurt.

1:03
Watch: VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern came through a test last Friday evening at last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart but won again in style thanks to a strong comeback.
Welcome!
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the first leg of this all-German UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, being played at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Are Mainz on course to finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time?
Why Mainz can finish in the top four
5 reasons why Bayer Leverkusen will progress against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League
5 reasons Leverkusen will progress against Bayern
Why Niko Kovač and Borussia Dortmund may have turned a corner
Why Kovač and BVB have turned a corner
Football as it’s meant to be
Football as it’s meant to be
Florian Wirtz (l.) and Harry Kane (r.) – star men for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich respectively.
Florian Wirtz (l.) and Harry Kane (r.) – star men for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich respectively. – © IMAGO / ActionPictures
bundesliga
Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen: UEFA Champions League probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!
27.02.2025
Bundesliga champions past and present collide in the UEFA Champions League when Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich face Florian Wirtz’s Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday’s last-16 first leg at the Allianz Arena (kick-off: 9pm CET).

Five reasons Bayern will beat Leverkusen
Five reasons Leverkusen will beat Bayern
How do the two sides stack up?
Bayern head Leverkusen in two-way title race
Analysing Alonso’s unbeaten run vs. Bayern
Alonso’s tactical smarts ready for Bayern rerun
Jamal Musial and Florian Wirtz compared
All Bayern’s Bundesliga goals this season
All Leverkusen’s Bundesliga goals this season
What’s the difference between ‘Bayern’ and ‘Bayer’?
A history of all-German Champions League ties
German clubs in Europe: fixtures and results
Latest

Bayern saw off Scottish champions Celtic in the knockout play-offs thanks to a late Alphonso Davies equaliser at home to avoid the need for extra-time. That came after the Bavarians narrowly missed out on the top eight in the league phase, finishing a point short in 12th. They’ve made very few mistakes on the Bundesliga front, though, where they hold an eight-point lead at the summit over Leverkusen in their quest to regain the Meisterschale from the Werkself. Vincent Kompany’s men took a step closer last Friday with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory at VfB Stuttgart that made it nine wins in their last 10 league fixtures. They had to do so without Joshua Kimmich for the first time this season as the Germany captain sat out the game with tendonitis. It will be a race against time for him to be fit for this first leg. And with Aleksandar Pavlović ill as well, it meant João Palhinha and Leon Goretzka started together for the first time at the weekend. The latter got a goal in Stuttgart after Michael Olise continued his good form with the equaliser. Harry Kane is currently on a four-game drought since scoring at Celtic in the play-off first leg. Jamal Musiala netted his 16th competitive goal of the campaign in the recent 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, which equals his personal best for a season.

Leverkusen were in Frankfurt at the weekend, winning 4-1 against the Eagles to extend their record of having not lost away to German opposition in any competition since May 2023. While their grip on the Meisterschale, which they won without defeat last season, is slipping, the defending champions can take great solace in the fact that they have been a real thorn in Bayern’s side. As well as two draws in the league, with the goalless encounter at the BayArena last month proving a tactical masterclass by Xabi Alonso as they completely dulled the Bavarians’ attack, the Werkself have also eliminated Bayern from the DFB Cup this season, winning 1-0 in Munich last December. Nathan Tella scored the decisive goal off the bench that day as Alonso once again went without a recognised striker from the start in this fixture. He still has two in-form options in Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick, who will both hope to feed off the mercurial Florian Wirtz pulling the strings around them. Leverkusen advanced straight to the Champions League last 16 by finishing sixth in the league phase. The current Bundesliga and DFB Cup holders will look to take a positive result back to the BayArena next week in their first all-German Champions League encounter.

Watch: Bayern and Leverkusen set for Champions League reunion

Kane has scored seven goals in nine Champions League appearances so far this season.
Bayern won the last all-German Champions League fixture, beating Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 2012/13 final.
The six-time European champions haven’t lost at home in the competition in 21 games, dating back to a quater-final first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21.
Alonso is unbeaten in six meetings with Bayern as Leverkusen head coach (W3, D3).
As a player, the Leverkusen boss won Champions League titles with Liverpool and Real Madrid before spending three seasons at Bayern.
Wirtz is Leverkusen’s biggest goal threat in this season’s Champions League with six goals and one assist.
Probable teams

Bayern: Neuer (c) – Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies – Goretzka, Palhinha – Olise, Musiala, Sané – Kane
Out: Peretz (kidney)
Doubtful: Boey (ill), Kimmich (thigh), Pavlović (ill)
Coach: Vincent Kompany

Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo – Adli, Wirtz – Boniface
Out: Belocian (knee), Terrier (Achilles)
Doubtful: Tella (hip)
Coach: Xabi Alons
The story so far: Bayern Munich
Bayern ended the league stage in 12th – despite also taking five wins. That saw them face a knockout round play-off against Celtic, which the Bundesliga league leaders narrowly decided in their favour (3-2 on aggregate) thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Alphonso Davies in the return leg in Munich.
© Alex Grimm

The story so far: Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso’s side have looked right at home on their return to the UEFA Champions League – winning five of their eight league stage matches to finish that phase in sixth out of 36 participating teams. That earned the Bundesliga champions a direct spot in the last 16.
© IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON
Double deutsch
The tie will be the sixth meeting between two Bundesliga clubs in the UEFA Champions League – and all of these have included Bayern. The last all-German meeting in continental football was Schalke vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2016/17 Europa League last 16.

2:03
Watch: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen kept the gap to Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga to eight points as they warmed up for the all-German encounter with an impressive win at third-placed Frankfurt.

1:03
Watch: VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern came through a test last Friday evening at last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart but won again in style thanks to a strong comeback.
Welcome!
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the first leg of this all-German UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, being played at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Are Mainz on course to finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time?
Why Mainz can finish in the top four
5 reasons why Bayer Leverkusen will progress against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League
5 reasons Leverkusen will progress against Bayern
Why Niko Kovač and Borussia Dortmund may have turned a corner
Why Kovač and BVB have turned a corner
Football as it’s meant to be
Football as it’s meant to be