Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan will meet at the BayArena on Tuesday night with the goal of each team securing three crucial points in the Champions League, following disparate outcomes in their opening league-phase matches.
The two teams have never faced off in European play before, and this will be their first meeting after Milan was soundly defeated at San Siro and the German champions easily won on the first matchday.
Bayer Leverkusen had high expectations for their Champions League homecoming after their record-breaking season, but their decisive 4-0 victory over Feyenoord suggests they may also have a significant influence this season.
On his Champions League debut, Florian Wirtz became the first player from Germany to score twice, and Leverkusen secured their largest away win in the league thus far.
Die Werkself could now win their opening two games for the first time since 2001, a season in which they lost against Real Madrid in the final, as they stylishly began their quest to advance to the knockout stages for the first time in eight years.
The German champions have won five of their six home games en route to the Europa League final last season, and they enter Tuesday's meeting unbeaten in their last nine UEFA tournament home games. They have never gone ten games without losing before.
Leverkusen has only lost two of its previous twenty-one European games, both of which were against Italian teams: Roma and Atalanta BC, who were their lone conquerors from the previous season.
After winning handily at De Kuip, the Bundesliga team survived a thrilling seven-goal match against Wolfsburg in classic last-gasp fashion. However, the team's perfect start to the season was ended with a 1-1 draw in Munich.
Head coach Xabi Alonso, who scored Liverpool's third goal in the 2005 Champions League final versus Milan, will be eager to tighten things up at the back because his team has already let up 10 goals in their first five league games.
Of course, Milan then had their revenge over Liverpool in the 2007 decider, and the two European heavyweights reassembled again on this year's opening matchday.
The hosts, never able to keep up with their Premier League opponents, lost 3-1 at San Siro after giving up 11 shots on goal, their joint-highest amount ever in a Champions League match.
Milan have now won only nine of their past 32 games at the premier level, despite making it through to the 2023 semi-finals, and last year's success at Newcastle United was just their fourth in 17 away from home.
Nevertheless, a team that appeared to be in decline under new coach Paulo Fonseca—who was already the subject of rumors that he would be fired within weeks of taking over—has found fresh life after winning back-to-back league games in less than a week.
The Rossoneri defeated Inter Milan, their bitter rivals, after six straight derby losses, thanks to a late goal valiantly headed home by childhood fan Matteo Gabbia, which sealed a much-needed 2-1 victory.
Then, after experiencing victory in the first Derby della Madonnina of the season, Fonseca's team easily defeated Lecce on Friday night, winning 3-0 at home thanks to goals from Christian Pulisic, Theo Hernandez, and Alvaro Morata in the first half. This put them in second place in Serie A.
Thus, the seven-time European champions hope to shock Xabi Alonso's well-oiled machine in midweek as they look to win their first away game in the Champions League for just the second time in their eight previous campaigns.
