Florian Wirtz made history as the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut, helping Leverkusen secure their biggest away win in the competition’s history.
With their eyes on reaching the knockout stages for the first time in eight years, Leverkusen could now win their first two group-stage matches for the first time since 2001, the same season they reached the final but lost to Real Madrid.
Heading into Tuesday’s match, the German champions are unbeaten in their last nine home games in European competition, and a win would make it 10, a new club record.
Last season, they won five out of six home matches on their way to the Europa League final, and overall, they’ve lost just two of their last 21 European games. However, both losses came against Italian teams, including Atalanta, who knocked them out last season.
Since their triumph in Rotterdam, Leverkusen edged out Wolfsburg in a dramatic 4-3 game and ended Bayern Munich’s perfect start to the season with a 1-1 draw.
But with 10 goals conceded in their first five Bundesliga games, head coach Xabi Alonso who famously scored against Milan in the 2005 Champions League final will want to tighten up the defense.
Milan, meanwhile, struggled in their opening Champions League match, suffering a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at San Siro, where they allowed 11 shots on target, the most they’ve ever conceded in a Champions League game.
Despite reaching last year’s semifinals, Milan have won just nine of their last 32 Champions League matches, and their victory at Newcastle last year was only their fourth win in 17 away games.
However, Milan’s fortunes seem to be improving under new coach Paulo Fonseca, who faced early pressure but recently led his team to back-to-back league wins.
They finally beat arch-rivals Inter Milan after six straight derby defeats, thanks to a late goal from Matteo Gabbia. A convincing 3-0 victory over Lecce followed, putting them second in Serie A and giving them hope of causing an upset against Leverkusen.
As Milan aim to win their first away game in the group stage for just the second time in eight Champions League campaigns, they’ll be hoping to derail Xabi Alonso’s finely tuned Leverkusen side.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Bayer Leverkusen made five adjustments to their lineup for the big game against Bayern over the weekend, but Xabi Alonso is expected to keep most of that starting team for the Milan clash.Captain Granit Xhaka is a guaranteed starter in midfield, though Robert Andrich, who scored in Saturday’s match, will face competition from Aleix Garcia and Exequiel Palacios for a spot alongside him.
Florian Wirtz, another automatic starter, has been involved in 24 goals in his last 26 European appearances and had scored in three consecutive games before being held scoreless against Bayern.
On Milan’s side, their main threat might come from Christian Pulisic, who has been on fire in Serie A this season. He’s scored in his last four games, with all four goals coming in the first half, and is now aiming to become the first American to score in three consecutive Champions League matches.
Tammy Abraham has joined Pulisic, Rafael Leao, and Alvaro Morata in Milan’s attack, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek could return to strengthen the midfield against a tough Leverkusen side.
Milan will be without Marco Sportiello (hand), Ismael Bennacer (ankle), and Alessandro Florenzi (ACL) due to injuries, while captain Davide Calabria is also doubtful with a muscle issue.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Abraham
EXPERT PREDICTION
Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 AC Milan
The Italian side looks likely to begin their campaign with two consecutive losses, which would leave them needing to make up ground later in the group stage.
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