FOCUS ON BAYER LEVERKUSEN
WHERE DO THEY PLAY?
The club play their home matches at the Bayarena, which is handily located in central Leverkusen. The ground has a capacity of just over 30,000 and is surrounded by several Beergartens where supporters of both teams can mingle before the match. Leverkusen itself isn’t noted as a typical tourist destination, but nearby Cologne is only a 15-minute train journey away. The atmosphere inside the ground is known for being particularly raucous, mainly due to a combination of a passionate fanbase and the stadium’s roof, which covers a large area and doesn’t leave much room for the noise to escape. The Bayarena was also the first stadium in Europe to have a Mcdonald’s restaurant as part of the ground.
WHO IS THE MANAGER?
Peter Bosz was an eight-time Dutch international who most famously starred for Feyenoord as a midfielder between 1991 and 1996. Leverkusen represents his ninth job in management, while he also had a four-year spell as Feyenoord’s technical director in the late noughties. He took over the club midway through last season and oversaw a significant improvement in the league, winning 11 of their last 17 games to qualify for the Champions League after they’d only won six in the first half of the campaign.
HOW HAVE THEY FARED IN EUROPE THIS SEASON?
Finishing fourth gained them entry into the group stage, where they were joined by Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow. Defeat at home to the Russians in the first game was a significant blow, but they rallied to beat Atletico and win the return match in Moscow, which was enough to finish in third place and qualify for the Europa League.
Any Rangers fan wondering how tough they will be compared to their previous opponents in the competition thus far should know they defeated Porto home and away in the last 32, including a comfortable 3-1 triumph in Portugal on Thursday night.
WHERE ARE THEY IN THE LEAGUE TABLE?
They are fifth in the German top flight, level on points with Borussia Monchengladbach in the final Champions League place and only six points from Bayern Munich at the top. They have netted 40 goals and conceded 29 in 23 league games so far.
WHAT KIND OF FORM ARE THEY IN?
Quite simply, it’s tremendous. They’re riding a six-game winning streak in all competitions, including a stunning 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund, and have failed to win only once in ten, a 2-1 defeat at Hoffenheim in early February.
HOW DO THEY LIKE TO PLAY?
Bosz prefers a progressive approach built around ball retention. At present they sit second in the Bundesliga, behind only the league leaders Bayern Munich, for average possession (62.1 per cent). Through most of 2020 the manager has preferred a 3-4-3 formation with left-winger Moussa Diaby playing along with highly-rated playmaker Kai Havertz, pictured left, in the supporting roles behind leading striker and goalscorer Kevin Volland.
WHO IS THEIR STAR MAN?
It is hard to look beyond Havertz. Though he has yet to live up to his breakout 2018-19 campaign, when he netted 17 league goals and 20 in all competitions, he is still talked up as the subject of a potential
£100 million transfer battle between Liverpool and Manchester United this summer. Despite being only 20 years of age, he already has seven caps for Germany and 135 appearances for his club.