Bayer Leverkusen Vs Inter Milan Prediction: Two Champions Compete For Tickets For The Last 16

Florian Wirtz, false nine from Bayer Leverkusen who will again show his sharpness (photo: x @bayer04_en)

JAKARTA - The match that brings together the defending champions of the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A will be the center of world attention on Tuesday night 10 December. Bayer Leverkusen will host Inter Milan at BayArena in the Champions League continued.

Both teams compete for automatic tickets to the round of 16. Inter Milan lead the Group with a three-point advantage over Leverkusen, which means a win for the visitors will ensure they win the group.

Bayer Leverkusen, under Xabi Alonso, entered this match with big ambitions after winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pocal last season. This is their first attempt to reach the knockout round of the Champions League since 2016.

Leverkusen is now in third place in the Bundesliga and has just won 2-1 over St. Pauli in a domestic match last weekend. Florian Wirtz again showed his sharpness by scoring the opener in the match.

Their journey in the Champions League this season is quite impressive, despite having suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. However, Leverkusen was able to rise with a landslide victory 5-0 over Red Bull Salzburg, where Wirtz scored two goals in the first half.

Statistics are also on Leverkusen's side at home. They have won seven of their eight home games in European competitions since the start of last season, scoring 21 goals and conceding only a few. This home record will be Leverkusen's mainstay against Inter Milan.

On the other hand, Inter Milan arrived in Leverkusen with high confidence. Simone Inzaghi's men are unbeaten in 19 games this season in all competitions, with the only defeat taking place at the derby against AC Milan last September.

Inter led the group after winning 3-0 over RB Leipzig last month, while maintaining a record without conceding in the last four matches of the group stage. With this result, they could make history as the first team to concede in six Champions League group stage matches if they managed to contain Leverkusen's onslaught.

The 3-1 win over Parma in Serie A last weekend is proof of the strength of Inter's attack line, which has averaged more than three goals per game this season. The duets of Marcus Thuram and Mehdi Taremi will be a big threat to Leverkusen's backline that was vulnerable.

Xabi Alonso is expected to return to relying on Florian Wirtz as a false nine, given the absence of Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface due to injury. Schick scored six goals in four games before the calf injury stopped his impressive performance. In addition, Jonas Hofmann and Amine Adli have also not recovered from injury.

Captain Granit Xhaka will be the motor in midfield, supported by Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong on the wing to supply the ball forward. The back line will be led by Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie, while Matgetj Kovkah will guard the net.

Simone Inzaghi has only lost Benjamin Pavard and Raffaele in Gennaro due to injury. Francesco Acerbi has returned to training and can enter as an option on the bench. Rotation is likely to be done to maintain the team's fitness.

Hakanlvhanobulu, yang pernah membela Leverkusen, akan menjadi pengutur serangan dari lini tengah. Yann Sommer, mantan kiper Bundesliga, diharapkan kembali mencatatkan clean sheet. Sementara itu, Denzel Dumfries dan Federico Dimarco akan membantu serangan dari sisi sayap.

Both teams come with high motivation and impressive performance. Bayer Leverkusen has the advantage of playing at home, but Inter Milan has a very solid backline and sharp attack.

With a perfect record without conceding in the group stage, Inter Milan are slightly more seeded for a narrow win. However, Leverkusen will not just give up and is expected to put up a fierce fight.

Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1):Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Tella.

Inter Milan (3-5-2):Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, baryananomenlu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Taremi.

Score Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Inter Milan