Overview
Bayer Leverkusen will aim for their third consecutive Champions League win when hosting Newcastle at BayArena.
After a heavy 2-7 defeat to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Leverkusen quickly recovered with 2 consecutive victories against Benfica and Manchester City.
Patrik Schick is a prominent factor in that revival, as the Czech Republic striker scored with headers in both matches. If he continues to score, he will be on par with the success of compatriot legend Jan Koller - who scored in 3 consecutive Champions League matches for Borussia Dortmund in the 2002-2003 season.
However, Leverkusen's ability to create opportunities and finish is still a big concern. Of the teams participating in the Champions League this season, only Ajax (37), Eintracht Frankfurt (37) and Pafos (43) have fewer shots than Leverkusen (49). Although the scoring efficiency from shots on target is quite impressive - 8 goals from 16 shots - the upcoming challenge will be much harsher if Nick Pope starts.
Pope currently has the highest save percentage in the league (84%), behind only Thibaut Courtois (90.9%) and David Raya (88.9%) in the first 5 matches. He could be the biggest obstacle to prevent Leverkusen from extending their winning streak.
Things could get more difficult for Leverkusen if Newcastle continue to maintain their explosive start in the Champions League this season. Eddie Howe's team scored 3 goals in the first 20 minutes of the matches, only behind Bayern Munich (6 goals) for early scoring.
Two of those goals came in the last two games. Although Newcastle suffered a 1-2 defeat to Marseille in the recent match, Harvey Barnes still helped them take the lead after only 6 minutes. Before that, Dan Burn's header in the 11th minute opened the 2-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao in the fourth match.
The defeat to Marseille also marked the first time Newcastle lost a Champions League away match despite taking the lead. The Magpies have won just one of their five away games in the competition since their return in the 2023-24 season.
Only one point is shared between Newcastle in 11th place and Leverkusen in 17th place. Therefore, this confrontation could greatly affect the chance to enter the top 8 and win a direct ticket to the round of 16.
In terms of force, Alex Grimaldo will have to undergo a physical test after being absent from the 0-2 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga. He is likely to be fit enough to return for the Cologne game at the weekend.
Kasper Hjulmand may welcome back young centre-back Axel Tape, who has just undergone two months of treatment for a thigh injury.
On the Newcastle side, the most worrying injury is still goalkeeper Pope, who has missed the last 3 matches due to a groin problem. Eddie Howe is likely to continue to put his faith in Aaron Ramsdale in the trip to Leverkusen.
Head-to-head record
The two teams have only met twice before, and Newcastle won 3-1 in the group stage of the Champions League in the 2002-2003 season. The most recent match also saw Alan Shearer score a hat-trick in the first half.
However, since then, Newcastle's record against German sides in European competition has been poor. They have not won in the last 3 matches, drawing one and losing two, with both defeats coming under Eddie Howe. Including 0-1 home and 0-2 away defeats to Dortmund in the 2023-2024 Champions League.
On the other hand, Leverkusen are showing clear progress when facing English representatives. They have won two of their last three Champions League games against English sides - the same number of wins in their previous 17 encounters.
Recent notable victories include a surprise 2-0 victory over Man City in December this year.
Score prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 2-3 Newcastle
The match between Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle takes place at 3:00 am on December 11 (Vietnam time).
