BAYER LEVERKUSEN v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

After Liverpool, we take on Bayer Leverkusen. It's the Champions League, with a new layout to raise the tension. And just like this, a short while after the complex home debut against the six time European champions from England, we head to the home ground of the German finalists of last year's Europa League and reigning German Champions. It's a big match, with the desire and hope of kick starting our campaign. We present the big evening scheduled at the BayArena, for Tuesday 1 October at 21:00 CEST, thanks to our Match Preview. 

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Venezia, Inter and now Lecce: nine points and nine goals scored. The Rossoneri are in great form at the moment, be it mentally and physically. In Serie A, the 3-0 win against the Puglian side on Friday evening pushed us up to third spot, two points behind the leaders Napoli. We are in the middle of an intense period, where Head Coach Fonseca is looking for certainty and is insisting on that. Major changes in the starting lineup are not credited, even though there might be some tweaks to the team: for example Calabria and Pavlović, in direct competition for places with Emerson Royal and Tomori, in terms of the rest there might be some tactical adjustments, Morata is not at 100% after a knock to the knee or Loftus-Cheek, despite this, regardless, there needs to be attention to the approach and intensity and ruthlessness will be needed. 

"We have to be continually solid in defence - Coach Fonseca said in the press conference on the eve of the match - a phase in which the team has grown. We made a lot of errors against Liverpool, especially at the back, but in attack we weren't precise enough. I'm always confident, we're doing well in Serie A but the Champions League is a different story". 

LATEST FROM BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Bayer Leverkusen are no longer a surprise. They come off the back of a near perfect season, an unbeaten Bundesliga campaign, and an Europa League where they fell at the final hurdle. They are back in the big time thanks to Xabi Alonso's work on the bench, a child of the game. On the first match day of the Champions League, they dominated Feyenoord, beating them 4-0. In the league, they earned a precious point against Bayern Munich in a 1-1 draw, they currently sit fourth in the league (with ten points) three points off the lead. From the keeper and captain Hradecky to the kid-star Wirtz, from the strength in the final third of Boniface to the brilliance of the Frimpong-Grimaldo partnership, onto the experience of Xhaka: it's a dynamic, unpredictable, resistant and dangerous 3-4-2-1.

"AC Milan are historical in the Champions League. I have followed them for a long time- said Xabi Alonso-, from the time of Sacchi and Capello. AC Milan have some great player, in the current side there's a lot of speed and quality: it'll be an honour to play them. They have a clear idea and precise system. Fonseca has been brilliant. We want to be the protagonists, we'll need to defend and attack well: we are ready". 

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan have never met before in European Competitions. 
• The Rossoneri have only lost once from eight recent matches against German opponents in the Champions League (Three wins, four draws); 3-1 loss against Borussia Dortmund in November 2023. 
• Christian Pulisic scored against Newcastle in the group stage of the 2023/24 competition, and also against Liverpool in the opening game of the 2024/25 season, and could become the first player from the USA in three consecutive appearances in the competition. 

WHERE TO WATCH BAYER LEVERKUSEN v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by Sky and NOW. To watch it in another country, you can check the "Where to Watch Milan on TV" section under "Abroad." On the Rossoneri channels, the Matchday show will air on Milan TV: live coverage starts at 8:00 PM leading up to kick-off, followed by interviews and Coach Fonseca's press conference. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, official social media, and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The Swiss Sandro Schärer will be the referee for the game, and has great experience as he was the referee in the European Super Cup final played in Warsaw last August. The linesmen will be De Almeida and Erni, Tschudi will be fourth official while San will be VAR; helped by the Dutch official Boekel (AVAR). One, from a good memory, a recent event with the Rossoneri: AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham, in the last-16 of the UCL 2022/23. No previous encounters, however, with the Werkself.

Match day two will be a double header evening. On Tuesday at 18:45 CEST, RB Salzburg v Brest and Stuttgart v Sparta Prague, at 21:00 CEST, Arsenal v PSG, Barcelona v Young Boys, Borussia Dortmund v Celtic, Inter Milan v Red Star Belgrade, Bayer Leverkusen v AC Milan, PSV v Sporting Lisbon and Slovan Bratislava v Manchester City. On Wednesday at 18:45 CEST Girona v Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk v Atalanta, at 21:00 CEST Aston Villa v Bayern Munich, Benfica v Atlético Madrid, Dynamo Zagreb v Monaco, Lille v Real Madrid, Liverpool v Bologna, RB Leipzig v Juventus and Strum Graz v Club Brugge.

Current Standings: Bayern Munich, Celtic, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, Sparta Prague, Liverpool, Juventus, Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Atlético Madrid and PSG 3; Arsenal, Manchester City, Bologna, Inter, Atalanta and Shakhtar Donetsk 1; Strum Graz, Barcelona, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Girona, PSV, Stuttgart, AC Milan, Lille, RB Salzburg, Club Brugge, Young Boys, Slovan Bratislava, Feyenoord and Dynamo Zagreb 0.

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